Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee (ENVY) said it would accelerate its schedule for transferring spent nuclear fuel from a “wet” cooling system to a “dry” storage system. The transfers will begin in 2019, two years earlier than originally planned, the company said.
The change, said Entergy, will provide an “even higher level of confidence” in the transfer of all spent fuel that is in the spent fuel pool to dry cask storage. Interim dry storage also involves two storage pads, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
The company's plans are contingent on obtaining a Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Service Board, which needs to certify ENVY to begin construction of the second storage pad. That second pad, if authority is granted, is expected to be completed in 2017.
ENVY said the vendor for its dry storage system had assured the company it could keep up with the accelerated schedule with both equipment required and with qualified personnel to facilitate the early start of the spent fuel transfer.
The schedule revision also requires spending earlier than originally planned. ENVY said it had committed $145 million for the project, which covers construction of the second storage pad, procurement of the dry fuel storage systems and transfer of spent fuel from pool to dry storage.
The funding will come from “external credit lines,” the company said, noting it would not use the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund for the project.
The announcement was made on the heels of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorization for Entergy Nuclear Operations to adopt changes to its emergency preparedness plan to reflect safer base-level conditions due to its early stage decommissioning efforts.
Effective April 15, 2016, Entergy will be able to scale back on emergency preparedness with the region relying more on state and local governments than the company as the plant remains shut down and decommissioning gets underway in earnest.
Vermont Yankee was commissioned in 1972 and closed down on Dec. 30, 2014.