COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION
PLYMOUTH – To prepare for the permanent closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Entergy has requested the review and approval of a certified fuel handler training program by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Once the reactor stops producing power, certified fuel handlers will take over from plant operators.
The focus would then be on moving the 3,000 radioactive fuel assemblies out of the spent fuel pool in the reactor building and into dry cask storage.
“Typically plant owners, as they’re looking ahead to permanent cessation of operations will make these submittals to us and we’ll review the plan for the program to make sure it meets all of our standards and has the appropriate levels of rigor,” said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.
That is the current focus at the decommissioned Vermont Yankee nuclear power plan.
The company is asking the NRC to approve the plan by December 15.
“After that they could certainly undertake the beginning of this program, start to get plant staff or outside individuals trained to start to do this work so they’ll be well positioned when the plant actually seizes operations in mid-2019,” said Sheehan.
The plant is scheduled for closure by June of 2019.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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