Maine Yankee

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
Maine Yankee Photo

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)

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].

(802) 345-7044

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