A Midwest grid operator has approved the permanent shutdown of the Kewaunee nuclear plant in Wisconsin.
On Tuesday, the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) determined the closure will not harm the reliability of electricity in the region. The same day, Dominion, the plant's owner, reaffirmed that it will take the plant offline in the second quarter of this year. The utility announced last fall that it would decommission the 556 megawatt reactor following an unsuccessful effort to sell the plant in 2011. A Dominion release also said its power purchase agreements for the plant expiring in December will end at a time of low projected prices for wholesale power in the region.
"After being reviewed for power system reliability impacts, the retirement of Kewaunee would not result in violations of applicable reliability criteria. Therefore, Kewaunee may retire immediately," MISO wrote in its letter to Dominion.
Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer, said, "I want to reiterate that the employees of Kewaunee have been doing an outstanding job, and the decision to close the station is in no way a reflection on them. They have my thanks and gratitude. The company is working to make the transition as smooth as possible for them and their communities."
Kewaunee was first licensed in 1973, operating a single Westinghouse two-loop pressurized water reactor, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The plant sits on the shore of Lake Michigan near Green Bay. Dominion acquired the power station in 2005 and received a 20-year operating license extension in 2011.