nuclear-news

Permanent shutdown for USA nuclear power plant

The shutdown would be the first of any reactor in the country since the late 1990s

Dominion says Kewaunee nuclear plant will shut down for good By Thomas  Journal Sentinel 22 Oct 12,  Dominion Resources Inc. will shut down the Kewaunee Power Station by the middle of next year, the company announced Monday, saying it was unable to find a buyer for the nuclear plant east of Green Bay.

The Kewaunee reactor is one of three operating reactors in the state, with the other two located five miles away at Point Beach Nuclear Plant.

The Virginia-based company said the low price of natural gas, which sets prices for the wholesale power market, was a key factor in the decision. The company’s agreements to sell power to two Wisconsin utilities expire next year.

The shutdown would be the first of any reactor in the country since the late 1990s, when plants in Connecticut and the Zion nuclear plant
– just across the Illinois line from Kenosha County – were
shuttered…… Daniel Stoddard, senior vice president of nuclear
operations at Dominion, declined to provide details about the
negotiations toward a possible sale of Kewaunee.

The prospect of increased regulations, while a concern, wasn’t the
main factor in the decision to permanently close Kewaunee.

“Certainly anything that impacts cost or increases costs doesn’t help
the situation by any means,” said Stoddard. “But I can’t say that’s
the primary driver.”

The plant has become uneconomical because of low natural gas prices, …..
within about six months, the company will begin the process of
shutting down the plant and moving all of its fuel into the reactor’s
spent fuel pool.

Because there is no federal repository for spent fuel, the used
nuclear fuel will remain on site at Kewaunee. After it is cooled for
five to seven years in the spent fuel pool, the waste will then be
transferred to concrete casks located on the Kewaunee reactor site,
Stoddard said.

Under federal law, reactors that are decommissioned must be returned
to “greenfield status” within 60 years. Dominion is committed to
meeting that deadline, Stoddard said……
“We looked at all alternatives to keep the unit operating, but we
could not make the reductions in the cost without it affecting
safety,” …. http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/175231241.htm

October 23, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA