Basic Facts:
- Location: Wiscasset, Maine
- Owner: Maine Yankee Atomic Power Co.
- Total Construction Cost: $1.4B (2018$)
- Total Plant Output: 860 MW
- Property Size: 180 acres
- Status: Decommissioning Complete 2005
- Decommissioning Cost: $700M (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel on Site: 542 metric tons
Background
Maine Yankee was an 860 MW pressurized water reactor located on Bailey Point near the town of Wiscasset, Maine. Plant construction lasted from 1968 to 1972. Commercial operations began in 1972 and ran through 1996. The plant was permanently shut down in 1997 for economic reasons.
Decommissioning
Plant decommissioning commenced in 1998. In 2004, all spent fuel had been transferred to on-site dry storage. Plant decommissioning was completed in 2005. That year the federal license for the site was also reduced to the Stand Alone Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) site. The NRC license will be terminated after the ISFSI is decommissioned. The plant owners have made no decisions regarding the disposition of the former plant site property and have established no timetable for making such a decision. Additional decommissioning information may also be found at the company website.
Socioeconomics
Maine Yankee is located in Lincoln County, Maine. As of 2016:
- Population: 34,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $46,000
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 2%
In 1996, one year before decommissioning, Maine Yankee paid the town of Wiscasset $12.8 million in property taxes, roughly 91 percent of the town’s tax base. In 1997, Maine Yankee paid $10 million in taxes in 2001, the plant paid $1.6 million in taxes. Today in steady state ISFSI operations, the property taxes are approximately $1M annually.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Matt Suchodolski, Philadelphia Regional Office, t: (215) 597-1242, e: [email protected]
Economic Development District
University Center
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Contact (Spent Fuel Storage)
- John Nguyen, Project Manager, t: (301) 415-0262, e: [email protected]
Unless specific costing information has been provided, decommissioning costs were derived from 2017 Decommissioning Funding Status Report.
Information herein obtained from public sources. Corrections are welcome and may be directed to [email protected].
Additional Information
Wiscasset escalates a feud with Maine Yankee over $1.6M in taxes
Wiscasset escalates a feud with Maine Yankee over $1.6M in taxesAfter challenging the exemption in court late last year, the town is now making a separate push for legislation that would specifically bar Maine Yankee from using the tax incentive that’s meant for facilities that control air pollution.
Read MoreMaine Yankee, Wiscasset clash over nuclear waste site taxes with millions at stake
Maine Yankee, Wiscasset clash over nuclear waste site taxes with millions at stake Maine Yankee was granted an environmental exemption to avoid paying property taxes on its Wiscasset nuclear storage facility that the town valued at nearly $94 million.
Read MoreWiscasset calls residents’ attention to Feb. 6 hearing on issue that impacts Maine Yankee taxes
Wiscasset calls residents’ attention to Feb. 6 hearing on issue that impacts Maine Yankee taxes The Wiscasset Selectboard encourages residents to contact their local legislators to express support for LD 2027, “An Act to Clarify the Property Tax Exemption for Air Pollution Control Facilities.” The Maine State Legislature’s Joint Committee on…
Read MoreA permanent nuclear waste storage facility is long overdue
Editorial: A permanent nuclear waste storage facility is long overdue The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. At a recent hearing of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, there was a lot […]
Read MoreA permanent storage site for nuclear waste is long overdue for Wiscasset and other communities
Editorial: A permanent storage site for nuclear waste is long overdue, for Wiscasset and other communities The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. Nuclear waste doesn’t belong in Wiscasset. Or in more than 100 […]
Read MoreArmed guards protect tons of nuclear waste that Maine can’t get rid of
Armed guards protect tons of nuclear waste that Maine can’t get rid of The waste – 1,400 spent nuclear fuel rods housed in 60 cement and steel canisters, plus four canisters of irradiated steel removed from the nuclear reactor when it was taken down – is safe for now, but can’t stay in Wiscasset forever.
Read More