Dominion Energy has finished moving spent fuel at the retired Kewaunee nuclear plant in Wisconsin into dry cask storage.
The 556-megawatt Kewaunee Power Station closed in May 2013 after nearly 40 years of operation. Shortly after retirement, the plant still had fuel in both spent fuel pools as well as a generally licensed independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI).
Relocation to dry storage began early this year and was completed on June 15, Dominion Energy said in a press release last week. The amount of spent fuel involved was not immediately stated.
Staffing levels have dropped from 635 when the plant closed to 140 at present, with another 90 to be laid off over the next nine months as work wraps up to place the reactor in SAFSTOR decommissioning mode.
Dominion then will have up to 60 years to finish decommissioning and decontamination of the nuclear power site along Lake Michigan about 35 miles southeast of Green Bay.
“The Kewaunee team never wavered on their commitment as professionals in the face of knowing that, for many, their jobs were coming to an end with Dominion Energy,” Daniel Stoddard, Dominion Energy senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, said in a press release. “They completed this important decommissioning work with a dedication to excellent performance that sets the standard for the industry.”
