Although Holtec International is still considering a former New Jersey nuclear power plant as a potential site for a future advanced reactor, the company had yet to make a decision as of this week, a spokesperson said.
Holtec has made “no firm commitment to date” on whether it will build its SMR-160 advanced reactor at Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, a spokesperson told RadWaste Monitor via email Tuesday. The Forked River, N.J. plant is currently being decommissioned by Holtec.
Holtec last month hosted a team of engineers from Hyundai Engineering and Construction to “advance the SMR-160 Balance of Plant Design,” the company said in a press release Feb. 22. Part of Hyundai’s visit included a tour of the Oyster Creek decommissioning site.
“Although Oyster Creek has not been designated as a commercial project at this time, Holtec remains open to possibly deploying its first SMR-160 at the Oyster Creek site pending local and state support,” the release said.
Holtec Vice President of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs Andrea Sterdis first announced that the company was looking into such a project in November, saying during a panel at Exchange Monitor’s Decommissioning Strategy Forum that there were “many advantages” to using Oyster Creek as an SMR-160 site, including existing grid connections and an established relationship with the local community.
Camden, N.J.-based Holtec purchased Oyster Creek from Exelon in 2019. The company has said it could finish decommissioning the plant by 2025 or so.
