Graphic from Holtec International showing building demolition status at Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant. Orange blocks are the reactor and turbine buildings.
PLYMOUTH – Members of the Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel expressed concern at a recent meeting about how long it’s taking to fully tear down the former Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth.
David Noyes, the senior compliance manager for Holtec International, told the panel on January 27th that the reactor and turbine buildings still need to be demolished, which is scheduled to take place between 2033 and 2035.
Pilgrim Power Plant closed in 2019.
Holtec and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection are involved in a legal battle over the company’s plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into Cape Cod Bay. Noyes said at last month’s meeting that the uncertainty over the disposition of the water is causing a delay.
The original amount of wastewater was 1,000,000 gallons, but that number has dwindled to 868,000 gallons thanks to natural evaporation. Noyes said the water is being filtered before it evaporates.
He also said that Holtec is in “lock-step” with the Massachusetts DEP on asbestos removal, after the state sued for improper handling. A consent judgement was entered last March.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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