nuclear-news

Indian Point nuclear power plant fails water quality certificate

Nuclear power plant’s water permit denied, POWER-GEN WorldWide. 7 April 2010-– The New York Department of Environmental Conservation denied Entergy’s request for a water quality certificate for the Indian Point nuclear power plant, saying the plant “will not comply” with the state’s water quality standards.

Entergy said it plans to appeal the decision.The DEC said the plant’s water intake systems and its release of untreated water back into the Hudson River are killing two species of fish and that radioactive material is being leaked into the groundwater, a violation of the federal Clean Water Act.

The decision means Entergy must either spend millions of dollars building cooling towers or shut down the reactors in Units 2 and 3. Entergy claimed the conversion could cost the company up to $1.1 billion. The water quality certificate is necessary for the company to request 20-year license extensions for Units 2 and 3, which are up in 2013 and 2015, respectively.The denial of the water permit comes after New York regulators rejected Entergy’s plans to spin-off five of its nuclear power plants, including Indian Point, into a new company.

Nuclear power plant’s water permit denied – POWER-GEN WorldWide

April 8, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radioactive, reactors, water