Basic Facts:
- Location: Forked River, New Jersey
- Owner: Exelon
- Operator: Exelon
- Construction Cost: $600M (2018$)
- Plant Output: 620 MW
- Property Size: 800 acres
- Status: Decommissioning
- Current DTF Balance: $930M (2018$)
- DTF Balance Prior to Decommissioning: $980M (2018$)
- Decommissioning Cost Estimate: $1.2B (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel on Site: 707 metric tons

Background
The Oyster Creek Generating Station first came online in 1969, received a license renewal from the NRC in 2009 and was licensed to operate until 2029. In 2011, Exelon informed the NRC that in 2019 the plant would permanently cease power operations due to economic considerations. In September 2018, Exelon ceased operations at Oyster Creek and the plant was permanently shut down.
Decommissioning
In July of 2018, Exelon announced a decommissioning agreement with Holtec International. Under the terms of the agreement, Holtec will assume ownership of the site, real property and spent nuclear fuel. In addition, and as the site’s owner, Holtec will manage all site decommissioning and restoration activities. The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals.
Socioeconomics
The Oyster Creek nuclear power plant is located within Ocean County, New Jersey. As of 2016:
- Population: 600,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $32,000
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 4.3%
During operations, the Oyster Creek Generating Station employed 450 people with an annual payroll of approximately $70M. In 2017, the plant contributed $2.5M in property tax payments.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Edward Hummel, Philadelphia Regional Office, t: (215) 316-2124, e: [email protected]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Contact
- Diane Screnci, Sr. Public Affairs Officer, t: (610) 337-5330, e: [email protected]
- Oyster Creek Generating Station
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
The dangerous business of dismantling America’s aging nuclear plants
The dangerous business of dismantling America’s aging nuclear plantsFORKED RIVER, N.J. – The new owner took over the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in 2019, promising to dismantle one of the nation’s oldest nuclear plants at minimal cost and in record time. Then came a series of worrisome accidents. One worker was struck by a […]
Read MoreFormer Nuclear Plant Site Gets Smaller as Decommissioning Continues
Former Nuclear Plant Site Gets Smaller as Decommissioning Continues | The SandPaper Nearly three years after the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township was permanently shuttered by its former owners, the protected area at the site has decreased from 150 acres to six acres as decommissioning of the former power plant continues.
Read MoreSettlement advances Holtec project at Oyster Creek nuclear plant
Settlement advances Holtec project at Oyster Creek nuclear plant CAMDEN – Holtec International has agreed to a $10 million precaution to end a court fight over its planned decommissioning of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. The safety measure – a massive cask made of steel and concrete – is part of a settlement that […]
Read MoreOyster Creek: Out with the old nuclear plant, in with a new one? The choices ahead
Oyster Creek: Out with the old nuclear plant, in with a new one? The choices ahead LACEY – For more than a half-century, the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant energized the region and local pocketbooks before shutting down three years ago, the start of what was expected to be a tedious, unremarkable and costly mothballing. […]
Read MoreOyster Creek Nuclear Waste: Interim Storage Could Change Sites
Oyster Creek Nuclear Waste: Interim Storage Could Change Sites OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – Holtec International’s plan to increase its spent fuel area at the shutdown Oyster Creek Power Plant created its share of controversy. Some expressed fear the expansion represented the first step in the development of an east coast nuclear waste repository. Officials from […]
Read MoreTaxing Nuclear Waste Discussed
Taxing Nuclear Waste Discussed | Jersey Shore Online LACEY – Can nuclear waste be taxed and if so can it benefit the township? A Forked River resident believes that it can and recently brought up news of pending legislation that Township officials could take advantage of. The idea came up during a discussion about the […]
Read MoreNRC Oversight of Oyster Creek Decommissioning Project: The Basics
NRC Oversight of Oyster Creek Decommissioning Project: The Basics SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – The Lacey Planning Board’s denial of an application in conjunction with the decommissioning of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plan last month raised some concerns. Local authorities and area residents wanted answers regarding who oversees the work done by Holtec International, the […]
Read MoreLacey vote leaves Oyster Creek nuke waste in limbo
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Read MoreLocal Mayor Appointed to Oyster Creek Safety Board
Local Mayor Appointed to Oyster Creek Safety Board SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTY, NJ – Lacey Township Mayor Steven Kennis joins a select group of state officials this month as the newest member of the Oyster Creek Safety Advisor Panel. Governor Phil Murphy appointed Kennis to the panel led by New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner […]
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