Holtec International celebrated landmarks and benchmarks this past month as it welcomed Indian Point Energy Center, the newest member to its fleet of decommissioning sites and celebrated the safe and successful completion of a key Oyster Creek milestone in world record time!
“The Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI) fleet continues to grow, not only in size, but in expertise,” said Pam Cowan, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for HDI. “Thanks to continual innovation, determination and a commitment to our core values, our successes this past month clearly position us as the leader in decommissioning projects.”
Indian Point Joins the Fleet
On Friday, May 28, the retired Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC), joined the HDI fleet when the sale of the three-unit New York facility was finalized. Entergy and Holtec announced the Indian Point sale in April 2019. The license transfer was approved in November 2020 and the New York State Public Service Commission approved the transfer on May 19 of this year, clearing the way for the sale to close.
Over the past year, Holtec and Entergy teams have been working to ensure a smooth transition for IPEC, so that decommissioning activities can get underway without delay. Immediately upon the sale closure, signage was changed in front of the site, signifying a new ownership and a new era for the 59 year-old facility.
Oyster Creek “Pool to Pad” Campaign Safely Completed in Record Time
At around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 21, the Dry Fuel Storage Campaign at Oyster Creek was completed safely and efficiently, when the last spent fuel cask was placed on the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) pad. All the fuel assemblies that produced the heat to generate electricity from Oyster Creek for nearly 50 years, are now safely and securely stored in 67 robust vaults and casks.
The fuel loading campaign, which began in January, called for the removal of all the remaining spent fuel assemblies from Oyster Creek’s spent fuel pool into 33 multipurpose canisters (MPCs), which were then carefully placed in Holtec’s HI-STORM overpacks and safely placed on the ISFSI. Holtec technology and innovation, coupled with a strong safety culture and exemplary teamwork allowed this project to be completed in a world class manner.
Now that all of the used nuclear fuel has been safely moved from inside the Reactor Building to the ISFSI, the Oyster Creek project focus will shift to the safe removal of buildings and structures.
Pilgrim Readies for Used Fuel Moves
The final ISFSI campaign at Pilgrim will begin at the end of June. The MPCs and HI-STORMs, all manufactured at Holtec’s manufactuing facilites located in the U.S., are currently being brought on site and readied for loading. A total of 2,142 used nuclear fuel assemblies will be removed from the spent fuel pool and placed in 34 MPCs for loading and storage in the HI-STORM overpacks at the ISFSI. Additionally, two non-fuel waste containers will store the most irradiated reactor vessel internal parts. The project is expected to complete in November.
As planned, the upcoming ISFSI campaign has paused reactor vessel segmentation work for the time being until the fuel moves are completed. Work to package and safely store vessel components that have already been segmented will continue in parallel with the fuel moves.
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