Prospective buyer urges community to push for nuclear plant sale

During the shutdown we asked the NRC if they would ever see the reopening of the plant, and they said they have never done it,” Tadisch said. “But the plant is in good shape, and they saw no problem with seeing it run for those 20 years or longer.”

CARLTON — Community action is the next step in RGA Labs’ pursuit of the Kewaunee Nuclear Plant.

Alyssa Bloechl, Kewaunee County Star-News 5:21 a.m. CDT July 18, 2014

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/kewaunee-county/2014/07/18/kewaunee-power-plant-prospective-buyer-rga-labs/12822115/

The Chicago-based engineering and technology firm presented its case for taking on ownership of the plant, which is just over a year into the decommissioning process.

Robert G. Abboud, president of RGA, said his company approached current owner Dominion Resources Inc. of Richmond, Va., in November 2012 about buying the plant. Abboud and company vice president Ron Chin presented their case Thursday night to 110 community members and elected officials at the Carlton Town Hall.

Dominion has shown no interest in selling the facility. Abboud urged community members to contact legislators and share their views of what they want to see happen with the plant.

“The real power is in the community and the elected officials,” Abboud said. “If it is going to happen, it will because the community demands Dominion relook at this issue, and I think Dominion owes it to them.”

Town of Carlton Supervisor Steve Tadisch said the town is looking into alternatives to shutting the plant down, including the best case scenario of facilitating a sale and generating power again.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission does not have a process for re-licensing a decommissioned plant, and to do it legislation would need to be changed. A 20-year license for the plant to run was given to Dominion before the shutdown, which will last until 2033.

“During the shutdown we asked the NRC if they would ever see the reopening of the plant, and they said they have never done it,” Tadisch said. “But the plant is in good shape, and they saw no problem with seeing it run for those 20 years or longer.”

Tadisch said community efforts to prod legislators are key to garnering attention and indicating the importance of the plant.

“I’m hoping that this will proceed down the long road of getting the plant re-licensed and bringing the jobs back to the area. That’s my goal,” said Carlton Chairman David Hardtke. “The next steps are going to be a learning process for us, but we are going to keep pushing our legislators, Reid Ribble, Frank Lasee and Garey Bies, for help.”

At this point, the town is still going through the assessment process on the property and the power plant.

“That is what puzzles me,” Hardtke said. “If you have something you don’t want to run, but there is someone who wants to run it, why don’t you let them?”