Basic Facts:
- Location: Vernon, Vermont
- Owner / Operator: Entergy Generating Co.
- Total Construction Cost: $3.3B (2018$)
- Total Plant Output: 620MW
- Property Size: 120 acres
- Status: DECON
- Current DTF Balance: $590M (2018$)
- Decommissioning Cost Estimate: $760M (2018$)
- Spent Nuclear Fuel on Site: 703 metric tons
Background
Vermont Yankee was a single-unit boiling water reactor that produced 620MW MW of electricity. The plant began operating in 1972 and was licensed to operate for 40 years through 2012. In 2006, Vermont Yankee applied to the NRC for a 20-year license renewal that was granted in 2011 extending the licensed operations through 2032. In 2013, citing economic reasons, the plant owner’s announced that Vermont Yankee would close in 2014.
Decommissioning
Vermont Yankee is in SAFSTOR status. In 2016, Entergy announced its intent to sell Vermont Yankee to Northstar Group Services for decommissioning. This transaction received approval from the NRC in 2018 and is awaiting similar approvals from the state of Vermont. Entergy hosts a website that provides information on the decommissioning process. Vermont’s decommissioning website is found here.
Socioeconomics
Vermont Yankee is located in Windham County, Vermont. As of 2016:
- Population: 43,000
- Per Capita Annual Income: $49,000
- Unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted): 3.1%
The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant employed 650 workers from across New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, and paid approximately $66M in annual salaries and benefits. During operations, the plant contributed half of Vernon’s $2 million tax base.
Contact Information
Economic Development Administration Representative:
- Matt Suchodolski, Philadelphia Regional Office, t: (215) 597-1242, e: [email protected]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Jack Parrott, Project Manager t: (301) 415-3017, e: [email protected]
- Vermont Yankee
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
A reporter tours Vermont Yankee & witnesses the dismantling of a nuclear power plant
A reporter tours Vermont Yankee & witnesses the dismantling of a nuclear power plantThe Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon once employed more than 600 people, and at the height of its operation, supplied about a third of the state’s electricity. But the plant shut down in 2014, and this week, the final cask […]
Read MoreVermont panel hears strategies to store nuclear waste in boreholes
Vermont panel hears strategies to store nuclear waste in boreholes The V ermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel’s Federal Nuclear Waste Policy Committee has been meeting to assess federal policies and review potential nuclear waste storage methods. During its meeting this week the panel heard from a company that is proposing to use borehole technology […]
Read MoreNRC officials say leaking casks are responsibility of NorthStar
NRC officials say leaking casks are responsibility of NorthStar BRATTLEBORO – If Vermont Yankee’s radioactive waste casks start leaking, it’ll be up to the plant owner to figure what to do. That’s the word from two key officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who on Monday said NorthStar Group Services will determine a course of […]
Read MoreNuke panel gets update on radioactive waste issues
Nuke panel gets update on radioactive waste issues Despite financial difficulties facing a NorthStar affiliate company in Texas, officials say there will be space in the low-level radioactive waste facility for all of the waste and debris from the demolition of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.
Read MoreNRC approves ‘indirect’ license transfer for Vermont Yankee
NRC approves ‘indirect’ license transfer for Vermont Yankee VERNON – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved what it calls an indirect license transfer of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant site to a corporate partner of NorthStar Nuclear Decommissioning Co. LLC. NorthStar and its parent company, John F.
Read MoreVermont Panel Hears Update On Federal Nuclear Waste Storage Policies
Vermont Panel Hears Update On Federal Nuclear Waste Storage Policies A committee of the advisory panel monitoring the decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant held a meeting this week to get an update on federal nuclear waste policy and the potential ramifications for the Vermont plant. On January 11th, 2019 Entergy completed its […]
Read MoreProposed bill carries big bonus for Vernon
Proposed bill carries big bonus for Vernon VERNON – A bill introduced in Congress by Vermont’s three-member congressional delegation concerning the decommissioning of nuclear power plants would provide a stunning financial windfall for the town of Vernon – up to $18 million a year. The bill, the Nuclear Decommissioning Act of 2020, is co-sponsored by […]
Read MoreNorthStar to fund panel, legislation or not
NorthStar to fund panel, legislation or not VERNON – NorthStar Vermont Yankee LLC said Monday that it won’t wait for pending legislation before it starts funding the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel. Scott State, chief executive officer for NorthStar, told the panel that rather than wait for the bill now pending in the Vermont […]
Read MoreNorthStar funding bill in limbo
NorthStar funding bill in limbo BRATTLEBORO – The coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled the priorities of the 2020 Legislature, putting the future of a bill requiring NorthStar Vermont Yankee LLC to pay more toward the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel in limbo. Rep.
Read MoreNuclear panel to shift some costs to NorthStar
Nuclear panel to shift some costs to NorthStar BRATTLEBORO – Members of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel gave conceptual approval Monday to changes in its enabling legislation that would transfer some of the costs of the panel to the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear site.
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