Entergy president: decision to close Pilgrim
was "an agonizing one"
Plans move attend to shutdown and eventually decommission the Plymouth nuclear facility
- See more at: https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/13/226590-Entergy-president-decision-close-Pilgrim-was-agonizing-one#sthash.mijZimt8.dpuf
Entergy, the Louisiana-based company that owns the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant followed up the announcement that they will be closing the facility with a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Entergy Wholesale Commodities President Bill Mohl opened the press conference by calling the decision to close the nuclear power plant both difficult and agonizing. "The economics are too challenging to keep the plant operating," Mohl said.
Mohl said Entergy first notified ISO New England, Inc. last night that they will no longer participate as a capacity resource proving power to the grid. Monday was the deadline imposed by ISO New England, Inc. if Entergy would not be recontracting for June 2019. According to Mohl, the 633 employees of Pilgrim were the next to be informed of the company's decision to shutdown the plant before June 2019.
Before setting a start of shutdown date, Entergy will first have to decide if the Spring 2017 refueling outage will take place. Should the company decide to not go through with the biennial refueling outage, the plant could be shutdown even sooner.
Changes in pricing and rules in the energy market are the greatest contributors to Entergy's decision. Mohl cited the dropping price of natural gas and the state and federal governments's failure to acknowledge the clean energy provided the nuclear power. Mohl also said Massachusetts subsidizes other energies at the expense of Pilgirm, which undermines a competitive market and continually puts Pilgrim on the losing end.
Entergy maintains that the recent drop from Column 3 to Column 4 in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Action Matrix and the resulting enhanced oversight mandated by the federal agency are not the reasons for the closure.
According to Mohl, current staffing levels will remain approximately the same until the shutdown. Once the shutdown occurs, the staff will be reduced by half and as the decommissioning process begins, the staff will continue to shrink. Following the shutdown at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in 2014, some employees retired, while roughly 100 employees were transferred to other Entergy-owned facilities including Pilgrim.
When asked if there is anything that could make Entergy reconsider the shutdown, Mohl said the notification to ISO New England eliminated the possibility of reversing the decision.
Following shutdown, spent fuel will be removed and stored onsite in the dry cask system. Entergy will then wait to see if the government makes a decision regarding the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. As mandated by the NRC, Entergy will have 60 years to decommission the Pilgrim site. A completed decommissioning includes the disassembly of the entire site.
Following Entergy's initial announcement, Governor Charlie Baker said, "Our Administration will work closely with Pilgrim’s leadership team and federal regulators to ensure that this decision is managed as safely as possible, and we will continue to work with ISO and the other New England Governors to ensure that Massachusetts and New England has the baseload capacity it needs to meet the electric generation needs of the region," Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement Tuesday morning.
The decision to close the plant will also have a significant impact on the Town of Plymouth. According to the Pilgrim website, a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts showed the station pays almost $10 million in state and local taxes and makes $10 million in direct payments to the Town of Plymouth each year in addition to other economic contributions to the community.
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- See more at: https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/13/226590-Entergy-president-decision-close-Pilgrim-was-agonizing-one#sthash.mijZimt8.dpufPilgrim Nuclear Power Plant to close by June 2019
- See more at: https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/13/226571-Pilgrim-Nuclear-Power-Plant-close-June-2019#sthash.VQAdaZjy.dpuf
Entergy announced today that it will close the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth no later than June 1, 2019. In a release, the energy company cited poor market conditions, reduced revenues and increased operational costs. Entergy informed ISO New England, Inc, the independent system operator of the electric grid of their plans, saying Pilgrim would no longer participate as a capacity resource in the market.
The exact date of the shutdown will depend on several factors and will be decided early in 2016, the release said. The Pilgrim facility generates enough electricity to power more than 600,000 homes.
"The decision to close Pilgrim was incredibly difficult because of the effect on our employees and the communities in which they work and live," said Entergy Chairman and Executive Officer Leo Denault. More than 600 people are employed at the plant.
Last month, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that Pilgrim had slid from Column 3 to Column 4 of the NRC's Action Matrix. The plant was downgraded following an inspection report. The plant has experienced several unplanned shutdowns or scrams over the past year prompting increased oversight by the NRC. Recently, on two separate and unrelated occasions, Pilgrim employees failed fitness-for-duty tests.
Pilgrim and its owner Entergy continue to be hounded by several grassroots organizations and politicians including the very vocal State Senator Dan Wolf who has called for the plant's closure. Tuesday morning, the group Cape Downwiders announced a speak out against Pilgrim at the State House in Boston on October 22, the focus of which will undoubtedly change.
Following shutdown, the plant will transition to decommissioning, the release said. Entergy closed the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon, VT in December 2014. At that time, the company cited similar reasons to those given for the anticipated Pilgrim closure. Many of the employees at the Yankee plant were transferred to Pilgrim.
“Our Administration will work closely with Pilgrim’s leadership team and federal regulators to ensure that this decision is managed as safely as possible, and we will continue to work with ISO and the other New England Governors to ensure that Massachusetts and New England has the baseload capacity it needs to meet the electric generation needs of the region," Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement Tuesday morning. "Losing Pilgrim as a significant power generator not only poses a potential energy shortage, but also highlights the need for clean, reliable, affordable energy proposals which my administration has put forward through legislation to deliver affordable hydroelectricity and Class-I renewable resources. The closure of Pilgrim will be a significant loss of carbon-free electricity generation and will offset progress Massachusetts has made in achieving the 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, making it more challenging to hit these targets. I look forward to working with the legislature to make our proposal for clean, base-load generation law, as it represents a diversified and balanced approach that will be needed to achieve the commonwealth's greenhouse gas goals.”
Entergy will hold a press conference in Plymouth at noon today to discuss their decision. Entergy Wholesale Commodities President Bill Mohl will address the media at that time.
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- See more at: https://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/10/13/226571-Pilgrim-Nuclear-Power-Plant-close-June-2019#sthash.VQAdaZjy.dpuf
When one fails to comprehend a complex issue that better educated people, especially 'experts,' are proposing, it is always wise to consider that just maybe, rather than attacking those people, you conduct some research.
Asteroid Miner, You are grossly mistaken about nuclear never killing anyone in the US.
The cost of protection is a pittance compared to some of the major repairs required.
In addition, it might seem that Entergy's safety record is questionable.
Entergy owns and operates other facilities equally as challenged.
Entergy owns and operates other facilities equally as challenged.
Entergy has had problems at Indian Point and lost fuel rods at Vermont Yankee.
How do you loose fuel rods?
How do you loose fuel rods?
Pilgrim Nuclear is an antique of the same design and age as Fukushima.
It was constructed to last 25 years and that in itself should give one pause.
It was constructed to last 25 years and that in itself should give one pause.
Recently, funding was cut to study health risks of those living within close proximity of a nuclear power plant. Why? To conceal the truth?
Too much has been written about the costs and risks of nuclear power.
Nuclear Energy is 100% tax payer guaranteed, subsidized and protected.
The Nuclear Industry has spent GAZILLIONS to assure that generous protection.
They got what they paid for!
The Nuclear Industry has spent GAZILLIONS to assure that generous protection.
They got what they paid for!
Below is an excerpt from an article posted in 2013.
The cost figures for Wind and Solar have significantly changed.
The cost figures for Wind and Solar have significantly changed.
From Nuclear:
Consider this -- Nuclear Energy costs
$7,500 per kilowatt to buildThat’s more than double the capital costs for solar power and three and a half times the cost for wind.
the most heavily subsidized industry in the energy sector.
In 2005, Congress handed the nuclear power industry $13 billion in federal aid, and two years later went on to approve an additional $20.5 billion in loan guarantees, making U.S. taxpayers the cosigners on loans for new nuclear projects -- half of which are expected to end in defaults.
Wind is already more competitive than electricity generated from new nuclear and coal-fired power plants.
Consider this -- Nuclear Energy costs
$7,500 per kilowatt to buildThat’s more than double the capital costs for solar power and three and a half times the cost for wind.
the most heavily subsidized industry in the energy sector.
In 2005, Congress handed the nuclear power industry $13 billion in federal aid, and two years later went on to approve an additional $20.5 billion in loan guarantees, making U.S. taxpayers the cosigners on loans for new nuclear projects -- half of which are expected to end in defaults.
Wind is already more competitive than electricity generated from new nuclear and coal-fired power plants.
