The Omaha, Neb., Public Power District has apparently selected a contractor to assist in the decommissioning of the closed Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant.
In a short briefing Tuesday to the OPPD Board of Directors’ Nuclear Oversight Committee, utility officials said they are in negotiations with one potential contractor. They declined to name the contractor in public and did not elaborate on the matter.
The utility plans to be in charge of decommissioning, with the contractor working under its supervision.
Last year, the board unanimously voted to move Fort Calhoun into active decommissioning, reversing an earlier decision to place the single-reactor facility into SAFSTOR, or “safe storage,” following its closure in October 2016. Under the earlier approach, the site would have been monitored and maintained but largely left untouched for four decades before active decommissioning began. The program would have wrapped up by 2066.
But OPPD managers reconsidered that approach, believing expedited decommissioning would reduce financial liability, address climate hazards earlier, and increase flexibility in costs and scheduling. The great majority of the cleanup would be completed by 2028.
Active decommissioning at Fort Calhoun is estimated to cost nearly $1 billion. That compares to just shy of $2.5 billion for SAFSTOR.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has estimated $931 million would be needed for active decommissioning. In 2018, OPPD reported $439 million in its decommissioning trust fund.
