Sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee plant to accelerate decommissioning schedule

The Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently approved the sale of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee to subsidiaries of NorthStar Group Services, a transfer that will accelerate the decommissioning schedule of the site by more than 30 years.

NorthStar has committed to a schedule for decommissioning the plant and restoring the Vermont Yankee site that begins no later than 2021 and ends no later than the end of 2030. Under NorthStar’s schedule, within 12 years, most aboveground structures will be removed, underground structures will be removed to a depth of at least four feet and the site will be regraded and seeded. All spent fuel assemblies will remain in dry storage in the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (“ISFSI”) area until the U.S. Department of Energy removes the spent nuclear fuel from the site.

The alternative proposal offered by Entergy would have involved a dormant period and cleanup by 2053 or possibly as late as 2068.

In addition to approving the sale, the PUC issued an amended Certificate of Public Good, which authorizes NorthStar to own, possess the licenses for and decommission Vermont Yankee.

“We are very pleased with the efforts of all parties and the level of informed public involvement in this proceeding,” Commissioner Margaret Cheney said. “We are satisfied that approving the transfer and moving forward with the accelerated cleanup schedule for the Vermont Yankee site is in the best interests of the people of Vernon and the State of Vermont.”

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of Vermont Yankee’s operating licenses to NorthStar on Oct. 11. Entergy and NorthStar plan to close the sale transaction in early 2019, subject to the satisfaction of all closing conditions.

Vermont Yanke is a single unit boiling water reactor located in Vernon, Vermont. It began commercial operation in 1972. Entergy acquired the plant from Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation in 2002. The plant permanently ceased operations on Dec. 29, 2014.