Entergy announced Tuesday that it will hire Securitas Critical Infrastructure Services to provide protective services for the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant starting June 28.
Vermont Yankee security manager Patrick Ryan said in a statement that outsourcing plant security will “greatly reduce administrative burden over the next four years,” noting that the top priority “continues to be the safety and security of our facility.”
Securitas, which is owned by Stockholm, Sweden-based Securitas AB, also has overseen security for spent fuel transfers at the Connecticut Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Maine Yankee, Big Rock Point, La Crosse, and Zion nuclear sites, according to the release.
Entergy noted that outsourcing security was included in the $817 million decommissioning cost estimate the company issued for Vermont Yankee in 2014, the year the facility closed. NRC requires all licensees to implement a security system that includes intrusion detection, alarm systems, armed response security, and “other measures not shared with the public,” according to the release.
“SCIS Nuclear has been a trusted security partner in the nuclear industry; committed to enhancing the safety, security and success of our clients,” Securitas President Ron Hickie said in a statement. “In fact, SCIS has led decommissioning and fuel transfer activities at more than half of the independent spent fuel storage installation locations in the U.S. We look forward to working with Entergy in managing dynamic staffing requirements, providing industry tested training, overseeing complex fuel moves and maintaining a professional, engaged security organization.”
According to spokesman Marty Cohn, Entergy previously contracted security services at Vermont Yankee until 2009, when the company switched to in-house operation. Cohn said the contract is for five years, but he declined to offer a dollar amount.
