Vermont Yankee nuclear plant winds down operations
BURLINGTON — The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant stopped sending power to the New England electric grid Monday following more than 42 years of producing electricity from the southeastern Vermont town of Vernon.
The shutdown came at 12:12 p.m., as the plant completed its 30th operating cycle when operators inserted control rods into the reactor core and stopped the nuclear reaction process, the plant's owner said.
The state of Vermont remains divided about the closing of Vermont Yankee. The closing has been mourned by employees and supporters, while cheered by critics.
In its 42 years of operation, the plant produced more than 171 billion kilowatt-hours of low-cost and low-carbon electricity. During that same period the plant provided 71.8% of all electricity generated within Vermont, or 35% of the electricity consumed in the state, the company said, citing information from the Energy Information Agency.
Bill Mohl, the president of Entergy Wholesale Commodities, said economic factors, especially related to the natural gas market in the Northeast, were the primary reason for the shutdown.
"The Northeast has undergone a shift in supply because of shale gas, resulting in sustained low natural gas prices and low wholesale energy prices," Mohl said in a statement.
The plant closing is having a major negative economic impact on the three-state region.
The plant employed more than 600 people when it announced Aug. 27, 2013 it would close. The workforce will be cut in half after a round of layoffs and retirements Jan. 19.
It also provided hundreds of millions of dollars of local and state tax revenue.
The town of Vernon has been forced to cut back on government services, including eliminating its police department earlier this year.
Gov. Peter Shumlin, who grew up a few miles from the plant, acknowledged the economic hit to the area.
"I know this is hard news for the many Vermonters who have relied on the Vermont Yankee plant for employment and economic opportunity in Windham County and beyond," Shumlin said in a statement.
"My administration will continue working with local communities to ensure that the Windham County region grows jobs and economic opportunity as operations wind down at Vermont Yankee. We will also continue to work with Entergy and community partners to ensure that decommissioning happens as promptly and smoothly as possible," he said.
Under an agreement between the state and the plant's owners, Entergy VY will provide $10 million in economic development for Windham County over five years. It also will deliver $5.2 million in clean energy development support for Windham County and elsewhere, as well as a transitional $5 million payment to the State for calendar year 2015. Entergy VY also agreed to set aside a new $25 million fund to ensure the site is restored after decommissioning, Shumlin noted.
Lt. Gov. Phil Scott repeated Monday his earlier assertions that the closing is a devastating blow to the plant's 600-plus employees, their families and the Windham County area economy.
Scott told the Burlington Free Press the high-paying jobs for highly skilled personnel at Vermont Yankee will not be easily replaced.
He noted that the plant's closure goes beyond the job losses, it also affects the local economy.
Scott said it was important for Vermont to grow its economy with good high-paying jobs in Windham County and throughout the rest of the state.
The Vermont Energy Partnership saluted the plant and its employees on Monday.
"The generous employees of Vermont Yankee have donated millions of dollars' worth of time and treasure to area schools and social services, VEP President Brad Ferland said in a statement.
He saluted the plant "for its many economic, environmental, and societal contributions to Vermont's quality of life. We wish Vermont Yankee management and workers a smooth decommissioning."
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group in Montpelier said it believes Vermont Yankee got more attention from its staff, activists and lawyers than any other issue in the past 42 years. By coincidence VPIRG was founded in 1972 the year Vermont Yankee went online.
"The answer to our energy needs, and ultimately the solution to global warming, will come with conservation, efficiency and renewable power. These are the areas in which Vermont can lead," said Paul Burns, VPIRG's executive director.
He said from the start, VPIRG has advocated for less costly and more sustainable ways to generate power in Vermont.
"More Vermonters than ever are plugging in to energy from clean, local, renewable sources," he said.
In 2016, the plant will see another big reduction in employment as it prepares for a 30-year period during which time its radiation will cool. The plant likely won't be dismantled until the 2040s or later.
Contributing: The Associated Press
VERMONT YANKEE TIMELINE
• Nov. 30, 1972: Vermont Yankee opens in Vernon.
• 1998: Federal government's plan to remove on-site highly radioactive waste for safe storage is shelved.
• 2002: Eight local utilities sell Vermont Yankee to Entergy Nuclear of Mississippi for $180 million.
The sales deal included a revenue-sharing provision: If the plant continued to operate after 2012, it would share 50 cents of every dollar earned above a specified price, for 10 years.
That same year, Entergy and Vermont agree to abide by the Public Service Board's decision on whether the nuclear plant could continue providing power after March 2012.
• May 2006: Legislature passes measure saying the Public Service Board needs lawmakers' approval before considering the extension of the plant's license for 20 years after it expires in 2012. The legislature also approves a plan to temporarily store spent (but still radioactive) fuel rods on-site, in concrete casks.
• Aug. 21, 2007: A cooling tower structure at Vermont Yankee partially collapses, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the structure and causing Entergy to reduce power output by 50% until repairs are carried out.
• 2008: Vermont Yankee runs out of indoor storage space for spent fuel rods; outdoor storage begins.
• Jan. 7, 2010: Testing shows radioactive tritium on Vermont Yankee site. Officials alert state and federal government about leak. The news raises alarm because state officials had been told the pipes that are the likely source did not exist.
• Feb. 24, 2010: The state Senate votes 26-4 against allowing the Public Service Board to rule on the reactor's request for 20 years of continued operation after its license expires in March 2012.
• Vermont Yankee owner Entergy Corp. disciplines 11 company officials for misleading state officials about the plant's piping system, but a report from lawyers the company hired says the company did not mislead intentionally.
• March 25, 2010: Vermont Yankee officials say they believe tritium leaks have been found and stopped. They pledge to clean up the contaminated soil and take steps to prevent future leaks.
• March 11, 2011: The destruction of two nuclear power plants at Fukushima, Japan, by an earthquake and tsunami heighten worldwide concerns over the industry's future.
• April 18, 2011: Entergy sues Vermont in federal court, claiming the state lacks authority to force Vermont Yankee to close.
• July 2011: Entergy's board of directors votes to approve refueling the plant — a $92 million investment. The corporation's stock rose after the announcement.
• September 2011: Three-day trial takes place in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro before Judge J. Garvan Murtha.
• Jan. 19, 2012: Murtha issues decision saying Vermont lacks authority to close Yankee over safety concerns.
• Jan. 2013: J. Wayne Leonard, CEO of Entergy since 1999, retires.
• July 2013: Ending a year-long lawsuit, Entergy agrees to pay Green Mountain Power an undisclosed amount of money in compensation for disruptions to power in 2007 and 2008. GMP had sued the corporation for $6.6 million.
Later in the month, Entergy announces a cut of about 800 jobs, 30 of them at the Vernon plant. The corporation also announces more than a $1 a share earnings decline for the second quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, two high radiation alerts at the plant are identified by operators as false alarms, caused by "spurious" power spikes and faulty detectors.
• Aug. 14, 2013: 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejects Vermont appeal to Murtha's decision, cites primacy of federal vs. state concerns. However, the court's ruling exempts the state from paying Entergy's $5 million legal bill.
• Aug. 27, 2013: Entergy Corp. announces that it plans to shut down the small, aging plant at the end of the year because "Vermont Yankee is no longer financially viable."
• Dec. 29, 2014: Plant powers down to go offline permanently. Stops sending power to the New England electric grid.