ZionSolutions Completes Zion Spent Nuclear Fuel to Dry Cask Storage Campaign

ZionSolutions announced yesterday the successful completion of its campaign to move the spent nuclear fuel at the Zion Power Station to dry cask storage. The EnergySolutions subsidiary loaded 61 dry cask storage containers in less than 52 weeks, ahead of the estimated timeline, the company said. “We are extremely proud of our employees for the safe and efficient job they have done in transferring the spent nuclear fuel from the fuel pool to the ISFSI pad,” EnergySolutions CEO David Lockwood said in a statement. “In completing this portion of the decommissioning project, we have successfully established the largest fuel transfer campaign to date in the United States, a major milestone for the project and for the nuclear industry.” 

 

Lockwood added that the campaign completion ahead of schedule should help the company’s profitability at the site, a stark contrast from reports last week. A Chicago Tribune report last week said cost overruns threatened the company’s funding to complete the cleanup. EnergySolutions spokesman Mark Walker, however, said the report contained misinformation and maintained yesterday that the project was ahead of schedule and under budget—a sentiment echoed by Lockwood. “The completion of the fuel transfer in less than a year positions the project to be completed ahead of schedule. In addition, an earlier project completion date will further increase the profitability of the project for our Company,” Lockwood said.