The state of Vermont is attempting to dictate how Entergy Corp., the owner of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power station, spends its decommissioning trust fund.
At stake is the timing of tearing down the plant, which would be delayed if Entergy spent decommissioning trust fund money on other projects. The company has said it would wait until it secured the estimated $1.2 billion to decommission the plant before it would begin tearing down the facility.
Entergy has requested a Nuclear Regulatory Commission exemption on the use of decommissioning funds in order to manage and protect on site nuclear waste. The company secured a $145 million loan to cover the cost of waste management after closing, according to media reports. But Entergy also submitted a plan to the NRC that calls for an additional $225 million for safeguarding waste that would be taken from the plant's decommissioning trust.
On Friday, the state of Vermont moved to block that request, calling for a hearing on the subject.
In response, Entergy spokesman Marty Cohn warned the state that a legal battle would be counter-productive, because the decommissioning trust fund can also be used to cover legal expenses that pertain to decommissioning.
Cohn said NRC policies are not current enough to deal with the realities of plant decommissioning, which was the reason the company filed for an exception.
Some estimates for decommissioning are decades apart. Vermont Public Radio quoted the state's Commissioner of Public Service Chris Recchia as saying decommissioning could begin in the “late 2020s, early 2030s,” while the company has estimated decommissioning would start in 2073.
Federal regulations allow 60 years before decommissioning, VT Digger reported.
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