Basic Facts:
- Location: Plymouth, Massachusetts
- Owner / Operator: Holtec International
- Construction Cost: $600M (2018$)
- Plant Output: 680 MW
- Property Size: 1,600 acres
- Employees: 600
- Status: DECON
- Current DTF Balance: $1.0B (2018$)
- DTF Balance Prior to Decommissioning: $640M (2018$)
- Decommissioning Cost Estimate: $640M (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel on Site: 600 metric tons
Background
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is a 680MW boiling water reactor that first came online in 1972 after four years of construction. In 2012, the plant received a renewal of its operating license extending the licensed life of the plant to 2032. In 2015, and citing economic considerations, plant owners announced their intent to permanently close Pilgrim in 2019.
Decommissioning
In August of 2018, Entergy announced plans to sell the subsidiary that owns Pilgrim, after its shutdown and reactor defueling, to a Holtec International subsidiary for decommissioning. Regulatory approvals of this sale, and a timeline for decommissioning, are pending. The state’s Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens’ Advisory Panel (NDCAP) advises the Governor and educates citizens on activities related to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station shut down.
Socioeconomics
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station plant is located within Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of 2016:
- Population: 500,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $64,000
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 3.9%
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station pays $9.8M in state and local taxes annually, accounting for approximately 10% of the Town of Plymouth’s total tax revenue. Pilgrim’s annual payroll is approximately $77M including benefits.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Debra Beavin, Philadelphia Regional Office, t: (215) 597-8719, e: [email protected]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Diane Screnci, Sr. Public Affairs Officer, t: (610) 337-5330, e: [email protected]
- Pilgrim Nuclear 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
Eight-year delay in Pilgrim decommissioning could change disposal of radioactive water
Eight-year delay in Pilgrim decommissioning could change disposal of radioactive waterDecommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station could take eight years longer than expected six months ago. Owner Holtec International has announced its second four-year delay since May, and the delay could have big implications for the disposal of radioactive water that remains in the […]
Read MoreInflation leads Oyster Creek nuclear plant to delay decommissioning
Inflation leads Oyster Creek nuclear plant to delay decommissioning LACEY – Inflation, high labor prices and economic turmoil spurred Holtec International to add four years to the company’s timeline for decommissioning the defunct Oyster Creek nuclear plant off Route 9. Holtec, based in Camden, completed the purchase of the Lacey nuclear facility in 2019 and […]
Read MoreNew Bill Would Revamp Nuclear Plant Demolition Oversight
New Bill Would Revamp Nuclear Plant Demolition Oversight Environmentalists were surprised to learn this week that newly filed state legislation would strip almost all the citizens from a citizens advisory panel overseeing the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. State Representative Mathew J. Muratore (R-Plymouth) announced his proposed legislation on Monday, January 23, at […]
Read MoreSoutheastern Massachusetts residents protest plan to dispose of nuclear wastewater
Southeastern Mass. residents protest plan to dispose of nuclear wastewater People who live in southeastern Massachusetts are vowing to block a proposal that they insist would be illegal and hazardous: to dump up to 1.1 million gallons of radioactive wastewater that is left over from Plymouth’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into Cape Cod Bay.A rally […]
Read MoreHoltec Expects to Make Huge Profit off Pilgrim Plant
Holtec Expects to Make Huge Profit off Pilgrim Plant – The Provincetown Independent PLYMOUTH – When Holtec International took ownership of the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in 2019, it came with a decommissioning trust fund with more than $1 billion in it. The money, paid by the utility’s customers over the 28 years the […]
Read MoreSen. Markey’s congressional hearing on nuclear decommissioning in Plymouth gets commitment
Sen. Markey’s congressional hearing on nuclear decommissioning in Plymouth gets commitment PLYMOUTH – State and federal elected officials don’t want to see a million gallons of water from the shuttered Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth “dumped,” as they call it, into Cape Cod Bay. The same can be said about rule changes proposed by […]
Read MoreEXPLAINER: What to do with closed nuke plant’s wastewater?
EXPLAINER: What to do with closed nuke plant’s wastewater? One million gallons of radioactive water is inside a former nuclear power plant along Cape Cod Bay and it has got to go. But where, is the vexing question, and will the state intervene as the company dismantling the plant decides?
Read MoreDecommissioning Panel Weighs Options for Pilgrim Waste Storage
Decommissioning Panel Weighs Options for Pilgrim Waste Storage PLYMOUTH – During a recent meeting of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel, Plymouth/Barnstable State Senator Susan Moran highlighted the need for federal guidance in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants like the ongoing efforts at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.
Read MorePilgrim’s Progress: The Pace Of Decommissioning Plymouth’s Nuclear Plant Picks Up
Pilgrim’s Progress: The Pace Of Decommissioning Plymouth’s Nuclear Plant Picks Up Just before Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth is expected to reach a historic milestone. All the radioactive fuel that generated electricity – and controversy – for nearly halfa century will finally be removed from the reactor building. It will be stored […]
Read MorePlymouth gets $3.8 federal grant to fix Manomet water pipes
Plymouth gets $3.8 federal grant to fix Manomet water pipes PLYMOUTH – What was going to be $5.1 million will now only cost $1.3 million. A $3.8 million federal grant will enable the town to make much-needed improvements to the Manomet Pressure Zone for considerably less expense than originally projected. Funding from the Economic Development […]
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