Wed, December 22, 2021
LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it plans to fine the owners of the shuttered Oyster Creek nuclear power plant $150,000 for security violations at the New Jersey site.
The agency would not reveal the nature of the violations, citing security concerns, but said the site's overall security program “remains effective.”
Holtec Decommissioning International LLC has 30 days to pay the fine or contest it.
The company issued a statement saying that “protecting the security and safety of the public is the number one priority of Holtec International at all our facilities. We have taken steps to address the concerns and overall security performance at Oyster Creek and shared those learnings with our fleet to prevent a reoccurrence."
The plant, in the Forked River section of Lacey Township, on the Jersey Shore, shut down in 2018 and is being decommissioned, a process that involves removing and storing nuclear fuel that had been used at the plant.
The nuclear agency said it conducted inspections between May and July and found “apparent violations” of security regulations.
It notified Holtec of the violations in late July and met with the company about what it called a “pre-decisional enforcement conference” in October.
The NRC said Holtec has taken steps to address the violations.
Hyundai joins Holtec in plan that could put small reactor at Oyster Creek
Amanda Oglesby
Asbury Park Press
LACEY — A subsidiary of South Korean automaker Hyundai and the nuclear company Holtec International have partnered to build a nuclear plant prototype that could be placed in Lacey in the future.
Holtec International, the Camden-based company that is decommissioning the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant, announced the new partnership this week. The companies are working to build Holtec's SMR-160 plant, a "small modular reactor" meant to reduce costs for nuclear power and re-energize nuclear's place in electricity markets.
Holtec expects its SMR-160 prototype to be complete by 2030. The company has also expressed interest in its Lacey property as the site for the prospective reactor. Other communities are also under consideration.
Across the nation, aging and expensive nuclear plants are being closed or bolstered with government subsidies to remain economically viable against competition from cheaper natural gas plants. Nuclear companies hope new designs in small modular reactors will provide an energy-generating alternative that is less expensive than traditional nuclear and carbon-free, a factor they hope will be an advantage over cheap, carbon-emitting natural gas plants.
The nuclear companies are also touting the emerging small modular reactor technology as more reliable than solar and wind power and safer than older, more complex nuclear reactor designs.
Lacey Mayor Peter Curatolo is pleased that Holtec is eyeing its Oyster Creek property for the prototype's location. Watch the 2017 video for Curatolo speaking about plans for the township after the closing of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant.
"Anytime that there's an expansion and the possibility of increasing employment in our town… I would support that," he said. "I'm very comfortable with the level of security there and the level of federal oversight (of decommissioning) that continues… there at the plant location."
Township concerns
Lacey officials have worried that as the defunct nuclear plant is decommissioned, the township's commercial tax base will shrink, forcing officials to raise taxes on surrounding homeowners to meet the needs of police service, road paving, school taxes and other necessities. A new power plant — albeit a smaller, less expensive one — could fill some of the financial hole when the older plant, and its annual tax bill, is gone.
The U.S. Department of Energy expects SMRs (small modular reactors) like Holtec's design will be part of America's energy future, playing "a key part of the Department's goal to develop safe, clean, and affordable nuclear options." Department officials see benefits in SMRs in that they take up less space than older plants, require less money to build, and can help promote U.S. energy independence.
Related:NRC says Oyster Creek had safety violations, armorer who falsified records
As a result, the Energy Department awarded millions of dollars in grants to nuclear companies to support research and development in new technologies. Among the award recipients was Holtec, which received $6.3 million for its research in new reactor designs. The department also awarded Holtec subsidiary SMR LLC, based in Holtec's Camden plant, $1.6 million toward its small modular reaction testing and safety system performance research.
Once complete, the reactor should produce as much as 160 megawatts of electricity. For comparison, the decommissioned nuclear plant at Oyster Creek had a 625-megawatt capacity, or enough electricity to power more than 600,000 homes, according to a 2017 fact sheet by its former owner Exelon Generation.
Miles away in the Atlantic Ocean, wind farm companies are preparing to build thousands of wind turbines, which New Jersey officials hope will provide another 7,500 megawatts of electricity by 2035.
Some residents critical
Some Lacey residents, such as frequent Holtec critic Paul Dressler, worry the Oyster Creek site is not a good location for a future nuclear plant, even a small one. Dressler said he is in favor of the new small modular reactors, but not for Lacey.
Dressler said rising sea levels threaten any future construction at the Oyster Creek site and any nuclear accident would risk contaminating the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer below, he said. The aquifer, which runs under the Pine Barrens, supplies the drinking water to most of the southern half of New Jersey.
Janet Tauro, New Jersey chairwoman for the environmental advocacy group Clean Water Action, shares similar concerns. The combination of high population density along the Jersey Shore and environmentally sensitive areas around Oyster Creek, such as the Pine Barrens and coastal ecosystem, make Lacey a bad choice to try a new nuclear technology, she said.
"Ocean County shouldn't be a test case, with over 600,000 full-time residents, that swells to more than 2 million in the summer," Tauro said. "You have a fragile environment. You have Barnegat Bay. You have the Atlantic Ocean… and it's densely populated."
At the existing plant, all the nuclear spent fuel from a half-century of power generation has been moved into steel and concrete casks for long-term storage. Demolition of the buildings at the site is ongoing and the reactor vessel components will be cut up for disposal early next year, said Holtec spokesman Joe Delmar.
Holtec expects to have decommissioning of the former nuclear facility completed by 2025.
More:Holtec employee splashed with radioactive water in Oyster Creek cask accident
Amanda Oglesby
Asbury Park Press
LACEY — A subsidiary of South Korean automaker Hyundai and the nuclear company Holtec International have partnered to build a nuclear plant prototype that could be placed in Lacey in the future.
Holtec International, the Camden-based company that is decommissioning the former Oyster Creek nuclear plant, announced the new partnership this week. The companies are working to build Holtec's SMR-160 plant, a "small modular reactor" meant to reduce costs for nuclear power and re-energize nuclear's place in electricity markets.
Holtec expects its SMR-160 prototype to be complete by 2030. The company has also expressed interest in its Lacey property as the site for the prospective reactor. Other communities are also under consideration.
Across the nation, aging and expensive nuclear plants are being closed or bolstered with government subsidies to remain economically viable against competition from cheaper natural gas plants. Nuclear companies hope new designs in small modular reactors will provide an energy-generating alternative that is less expensive than traditional nuclear and carbon-free, a factor they hope will be an advantage over cheap, carbon-emitting natural gas plants.
The nuclear companies are also touting the emerging small modular reactor technology as more reliable than solar and wind power and safer than older, more complex nuclear reactor designs.
Lacey Mayor Peter Curatolo is pleased that Holtec is eyeing its Oyster Creek property for the prototype's location. Watch the 2017 video for Curatolo speaking about plans for the township after the closing of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant.
"Anytime that there's an expansion and the possibility of increasing employment in our town… I would support that," he said. "I'm very comfortable with the level of security there and the level of federal oversight (of decommissioning) that continues… there at the plant location."
Township concerns
Lacey officials have worried that as the defunct nuclear plant is decommissioned, the township's commercial tax base will shrink, forcing officials to raise taxes on surrounding homeowners to meet the needs of police service, road paving, school taxes and other necessities. A new power plant — albeit a smaller, less expensive one — could fill some of the financial hole when the older plant, and its annual tax bill, is gone.
The U.S. Department of Energy expects SMRs (small modular reactors) like Holtec's design will be part of America's energy future, playing "a key part of the Department's goal to develop safe, clean, and affordable nuclear options." Department officials see benefits in SMRs in that they take up less space than older plants, require less money to build, and can help promote U.S. energy independence.
Related:NRC says Oyster Creek had safety violations, armorer who falsified records
As a result, the Energy Department awarded millions of dollars in grants to nuclear companies to support research and development in new technologies. Among the award recipients was Holtec, which received $6.3 million for its research in new reactor designs. The department also awarded Holtec subsidiary SMR LLC, based in Holtec's Camden plant, $1.6 million toward its small modular reaction testing and safety system performance research.
Under the new partnership with Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the South Korean company will complete portions of the plant design and prepare construction specifications for Holtec's SMR-160 plants. Hyundai Engineering & Construction will also receive the rights to construct the plant. Holtec will serve as the overall architect for the plant and provide the main nuclear components, made at its U.S.-based manufacturing sites, while instruments and the plant's control systems will be created through Holtec's partnership with Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
Once complete, the reactor should produce as much as 160 megawatts of electricity. For comparison, the decommissioned nuclear plant at Oyster Creek had a 625-megawatt capacity, or enough electricity to power more than 600,000 homes, according to a 2017 fact sheet by its former owner Exelon Generation.
Miles away in the Atlantic Ocean, wind farm companies are preparing to build thousands of wind turbines, which New Jersey officials hope will provide another 7,500 megawatts of electricity by 2035.
Some residents critical
Some Lacey residents, such as frequent Holtec critic Paul Dressler, worry the Oyster Creek site is not a good location for a future nuclear plant, even a small one. Dressler said he is in favor of the new small modular reactors, but not for Lacey.
Dressler said rising sea levels threaten any future construction at the Oyster Creek site and any nuclear accident would risk contaminating the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer below, he said. The aquifer, which runs under the Pine Barrens, supplies the drinking water to most of the southern half of New Jersey.
Janet Tauro, New Jersey chairwoman for the environmental advocacy group Clean Water Action, shares similar concerns. The combination of high population density along the Jersey Shore and environmentally sensitive areas around Oyster Creek, such as the Pine Barrens and coastal ecosystem, make Lacey a bad choice to try a new nuclear technology, she said.
"Ocean County shouldn't be a test case, with over 600,000 full-time residents, that swells to more than 2 million in the summer," Tauro said. "You have a fragile environment. You have Barnegat Bay. You have the Atlantic Ocean… and it's densely populated."
At the existing plant, all the nuclear spent fuel from a half-century of power generation has been moved into steel and concrete casks for long-term storage. Demolition of the buildings at the site is ongoing and the reactor vessel components will be cut up for disposal early next year, said Holtec spokesman Joe Delmar.
Holtec expects to have decommissioning of the former nuclear facility completed by 2025.
More:Holtec employee splashed with radioactive water in Oyster Creek cask accident
Holtec receives NRC approval to acquire Michigan nuclear plant
Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
Mon, December 20, 2021
CAMDEN – Holtec International has received an initial approval to acquire a nuclear power plant that it plans to decommission and dismantle.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the Camden firm “met the regulatory, legal, technical and financial requirements” to obtain the license for the Palisades plant in Covert, Michigan.
The NRC similarly supported a license transfer for a second Michigan site, the Big Rock Point facility. The Hayes Township plant has already been decommissioned, with only a fuel storage facility remaining, according to the NRC.
Holtec executive Joy Russell described the approval as “a major milestone” for the firm’s decommissioning efforts. An affiliate, Holtec Decommissioning International, is currently dismantling the Oyster Creek power plant in Ocean County, as well as nuclear generators in Massachusetts and New York state.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a license transfer that would allow Holtec International of Camden to decommission and dismantle an atomic power plant in Michigan.
But opponents of the license transfer will “seriously consider” a court appeal of the NRC’s “shocking” decision, said Terry Lodge, an attorney for a coalition of environmental groups.
“We have been denied our due process rights,” claimed Michael Keegan of Don’t Waste Michigan, who said the NRC had denied a hearing “on our very serious environmental, health, safety, and fiscal concerns.”
Among other points, the critics question whether the power plants’ decommissioning trust funds will cover needed expenses. They also assert Holtec is tapping the trust funds for unrelated costs.
The two plants are on the Lake Michigan shoreline, about 250 miles apart. Their licenses currently are held by Entergy, a Louisiana-based power company.
In its Dec. 13 decision, the NRC noted license transfers would not occur until June 2022. That would follow additional hearings by the NRC and theMay 31 shutdown of the Palisades’ complex.
Holtec says it plans to store spent nuclear fuel at the Michigan sites “until the U.S. government takes possession of it … or the canisters are transferred to an alternative location.”
It notes an alternative site could be Holtec’s proposed nuclear-waste storage facility in a remote area of southeastern New Mexico.
Holtec expects the NRC to grant final regulatory approval for the storage site by early 2022. It noted Ukraine, “facing a similar problem, is tantalizingly close” to commissioning a centralized storage facility using Holtec’s technology.
But the environmental groups are fighting the proposed storage facility in federal court, where they've raised concerns about shipping nuclear waste across the country.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Holtec clears hurdle to obtain license of Michigan nuclear power plant
Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
Mon, December 20, 2021
CAMDEN – Holtec International has received an initial approval to acquire a nuclear power plant that it plans to decommission and dismantle.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the Camden firm “met the regulatory, legal, technical and financial requirements” to obtain the license for the Palisades plant in Covert, Michigan.
The NRC similarly supported a license transfer for a second Michigan site, the Big Rock Point facility. The Hayes Township plant has already been decommissioned, with only a fuel storage facility remaining, according to the NRC.
Holtec executive Joy Russell described the approval as “a major milestone” for the firm’s decommissioning efforts. An affiliate, Holtec Decommissioning International, is currently dismantling the Oyster Creek power plant in Ocean County, as well as nuclear generators in Massachusetts and New York state.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a license transfer that would allow Holtec International of Camden to decommission and dismantle an atomic power plant in Michigan.
But opponents of the license transfer will “seriously consider” a court appeal of the NRC’s “shocking” decision, said Terry Lodge, an attorney for a coalition of environmental groups.
“We have been denied our due process rights,” claimed Michael Keegan of Don’t Waste Michigan, who said the NRC had denied a hearing “on our very serious environmental, health, safety, and fiscal concerns.”
Among other points, the critics question whether the power plants’ decommissioning trust funds will cover needed expenses. They also assert Holtec is tapping the trust funds for unrelated costs.
The two plants are on the Lake Michigan shoreline, about 250 miles apart. Their licenses currently are held by Entergy, a Louisiana-based power company.
In its Dec. 13 decision, the NRC noted license transfers would not occur until June 2022. That would follow additional hearings by the NRC and theMay 31 shutdown of the Palisades’ complex.
Holtec says it plans to store spent nuclear fuel at the Michigan sites “until the U.S. government takes possession of it … or the canisters are transferred to an alternative location.”
It notes an alternative site could be Holtec’s proposed nuclear-waste storage facility in a remote area of southeastern New Mexico.
Holtec expects the NRC to grant final regulatory approval for the storage site by early 2022. It noted Ukraine, “facing a similar problem, is tantalizingly close” to commissioning a centralized storage facility using Holtec’s technology.
But the environmental groups are fighting the proposed storage facility in federal court, where they've raised concerns about shipping nuclear waste across the country.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Holtec clears hurdle to obtain license of Michigan nuclear power plant
Holtec says it won't dump radioactive water in Cape Cod Bay in 2022
Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times
December 7, 2021·
PLYMOUTH — The company in charge of decommissioning Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station announced Monday that it would not discharge radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay in 2022.
"We wanted to share that in the near term the decision at Pilgrim has been made that the processed water will remain on site, safely stored, and that we will not discharge any processed water in 2022 while this evaluation (of alternative disposal options) is undertaken," according to an emailed statement from Patrick O'Brien, a senior manager for government affairs and communications for Holtec Decommissioning International.
The email said the company appreciated and understood the public's questions and concerns, and "remain committed to an open, transparent process on the decommissioning of Pilgrim Station focused on the health and safety of the public, the environment, and on-site personnel.”
The company decommissioning the closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth says it will not release radioactive water, which was used to cool components at the facility, into Cape Cod Bay next year.
The news that releasing as much as 1 million gallons of water used to cool radioactive rods and other components in the spent fuel pool and in other parts of the facility was being considered was announced at a Nov. 22 meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel.
On Monday, O'Brien reiterated that no decision had been reached on whether to evaporate, discharge or transport the water to another facility.
Radioactive water release plans
But that appeared to contradict an email to U.S. Rep. William Keating's staff last week from Nuclear Regulatory Commission Congressional Affairs Officer Carolyn Wolf that "Holtec has informed the NRC that it plans to discharge liquid effluents sometime in the first quarter of 2022."
At the advisory panel meeting the company said it would be evaluating options over the next six months to a year. Monday's press release committed to at least a year while that process was followed.
Previous story: Pilgrim nuclear plant may release 1M gallons of radioactive water into bay
Holtec and NRC officials said in interviews that radioactivity and other contaminants like metals in the coolant water would be reduced through a filtering process to levels allowed under federal permits before being released, and environmental impacts and levels in the ocean would be monitored. The plant had released treated radioactive water periodically during the course of its operations, most recently in 2017, O'Brien said.
In an interview Monday, Keating said he was hopeful Holtec would honor the pledge not to release any water into Cape Cod Bay in 2022. But he was disappointed that Monday's press release didn't mention public and stakeholder engagement in making that decision, calling it an "obvious omission."
NRC and Holtec have said repeatedly there is no required public comment in making their decision.
"The NDCAP (advisory panel) is the public forum really for the decommissioning, I’m not sure if EPA/DEP/NRC will have anything else," said O'Brien in an email Monday.
More time to study impact on maritime industries
Keating hoped the year delay would allow the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state agencies an opportunity to weigh in.
"It's really important we have this period to really look at this issue because once (the disposal option) is implemented, we can't undo it," Keating said.
in an interviewFriday, Keating said any release of radioactive water from the plant would impact the region's maritime industries including aquaculture, fishing and recreation — potentially through bioaccumulation in the food chain but also by damaging the region's reputation as a source of seafood and recreational opportunities.
Keating advocated trucking the water to an off-site facility and O'Brien had identified an Idaho plant at the advisory panel meeting as one possible site.
Holtec is paying for the Pilgrim cleanup out of a $1.03 billion decommissioning trust fund that ratepayers paid into over time.
During a Dec. 1 Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., was critical of the agency's handling of decommissioning and lack of public input.
Markey told NRC Chairman Christopher Hanson that his agency has abrogated its responsibility, leaving decisions largely to the private companies that do the work.
"The NRC has decided that the best way to shield itself from criticism is to take itself out of the process," Markey said. He said a new decommissioning rule relegates the agency only to acknowledging receipt of a plan from a private company looking to dismantle a plant.
"It (the NRC) would serve as a glorified filing cabinet. Ceding the job of regulator to the nuclear industry itself is not a win for safety, for communities or for the energy sector," said Markey, who was especially critical the diminished role of public comment.
"I would urge you to insure that there is full NRC and public participation (in vetting decommissioning plans) because the (nuclear power) industry ... has been known to cut corners and ultimately we cannot allow the public safety to be put in jeopardy at all," Markey said.
Contact Doug Fraser at dfraser@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dougfrasercct.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Holtec says it won't dump radioactive water in Cape Cod Bay in 2022
Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times
December 7, 2021·
PLYMOUTH — The company in charge of decommissioning Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station announced Monday that it would not discharge radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay in 2022.
"We wanted to share that in the near term the decision at Pilgrim has been made that the processed water will remain on site, safely stored, and that we will not discharge any processed water in 2022 while this evaluation (of alternative disposal options) is undertaken," according to an emailed statement from Patrick O'Brien, a senior manager for government affairs and communications for Holtec Decommissioning International.
The email said the company appreciated and understood the public's questions and concerns, and "remain committed to an open, transparent process on the decommissioning of Pilgrim Station focused on the health and safety of the public, the environment, and on-site personnel.”
The company decommissioning the closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth says it will not release radioactive water, which was used to cool components at the facility, into Cape Cod Bay next year.
The news that releasing as much as 1 million gallons of water used to cool radioactive rods and other components in the spent fuel pool and in other parts of the facility was being considered was announced at a Nov. 22 meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel.
On Monday, O'Brien reiterated that no decision had been reached on whether to evaporate, discharge or transport the water to another facility.
Radioactive water release plans
But that appeared to contradict an email to U.S. Rep. William Keating's staff last week from Nuclear Regulatory Commission Congressional Affairs Officer Carolyn Wolf that "Holtec has informed the NRC that it plans to discharge liquid effluents sometime in the first quarter of 2022."
At the advisory panel meeting the company said it would be evaluating options over the next six months to a year. Monday's press release committed to at least a year while that process was followed.
Previous story: Pilgrim nuclear plant may release 1M gallons of radioactive water into bay
Holtec and NRC officials said in interviews that radioactivity and other contaminants like metals in the coolant water would be reduced through a filtering process to levels allowed under federal permits before being released, and environmental impacts and levels in the ocean would be monitored. The plant had released treated radioactive water periodically during the course of its operations, most recently in 2017, O'Brien said.
In an interview Monday, Keating said he was hopeful Holtec would honor the pledge not to release any water into Cape Cod Bay in 2022. But he was disappointed that Monday's press release didn't mention public and stakeholder engagement in making that decision, calling it an "obvious omission."
NRC and Holtec have said repeatedly there is no required public comment in making their decision.
"The NDCAP (advisory panel) is the public forum really for the decommissioning, I’m not sure if EPA/DEP/NRC will have anything else," said O'Brien in an email Monday.
More time to study impact on maritime industries
Keating hoped the year delay would allow the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state agencies an opportunity to weigh in.
"It's really important we have this period to really look at this issue because once (the disposal option) is implemented, we can't undo it," Keating said.
in an interviewFriday, Keating said any release of radioactive water from the plant would impact the region's maritime industries including aquaculture, fishing and recreation — potentially through bioaccumulation in the food chain but also by damaging the region's reputation as a source of seafood and recreational opportunities.
Keating advocated trucking the water to an off-site facility and O'Brien had identified an Idaho plant at the advisory panel meeting as one possible site.
Holtec is paying for the Pilgrim cleanup out of a $1.03 billion decommissioning trust fund that ratepayers paid into over time.
During a Dec. 1 Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., was critical of the agency's handling of decommissioning and lack of public input.
Markey told NRC Chairman Christopher Hanson that his agency has abrogated its responsibility, leaving decisions largely to the private companies that do the work.
"The NRC has decided that the best way to shield itself from criticism is to take itself out of the process," Markey said. He said a new decommissioning rule relegates the agency only to acknowledging receipt of a plan from a private company looking to dismantle a plant.
"It (the NRC) would serve as a glorified filing cabinet. Ceding the job of regulator to the nuclear industry itself is not a win for safety, for communities or for the energy sector," said Markey, who was especially critical the diminished role of public comment.
"I would urge you to insure that there is full NRC and public participation (in vetting decommissioning plans) because the (nuclear power) industry ... has been known to cut corners and ultimately we cannot allow the public safety to be put in jeopardy at all," Markey said.
Contact Doug Fraser at dfraser@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dougfrasercct.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Holtec says it won't dump radioactive water in Cape Cod Bay in 2022
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