The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will cease operations on May 31, 2019, owner Entergy announced Thursday, meaning the company will refuel the Massachusetts plant next year.
The company had previously said shutdown would occur sometime from 2017 to 2019. Entergy spokesman Patrick O’Brien said by phone Thursday that the company selected the 2019 date because that’s the cutoff for Entergy’s obligation to provide electricity to ISO New England, which oversees the region’s grid.
Entergy in spring 2017 will conduct a refueling outage at the plant, a process that occurs every other year and can put the plant out of commission for up to a month. The plant’s post-shutdown decommissioning activities report will be due to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission two years after shutdown. The company also said it will create a nuclear decommissioning citizens’ advisory panel meant to engage the public on shutdown status and plans. O’Brien said the company has not chosen a decommissioning option, and that it’s too early to speculate.
“We’re pleased that we will be able to keep our team of hardworking, professional employees actively engaged in safe operations for the next three years and in a return to regular NRC and industry oversight,” Pilgrim site Vice President John Dent said in a statement. “During this period, Pilgrim will continue safely to provide clean, emissions-free electricity to our neighbors.”
Pilgrim began operation in 1972, and the company announced shutdown plans in October 2015, citing economic factors. Weak wholesale energy prices brought on by low natural gas prices, flawed market design, and increased operational costs and NRC oversight were among the reasons cited for the decision. Entergy has cited similar circumstances in announcing closures of its Vermont Yankee and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plants.
NRC in September downgraded the plant’s safety rating to Column 4 of the agency’s Action Matrix, which is the lowest safety rating a plant can have while remaining in operation. The downgrade resulted from a series of unplanned shutdowns and safety relief valve concerns. NRC has completed the first of three special inspections at the plant tied to increased oversight. Inspectors in the first review found the plant to be operating safely, aside from one minor “very low safety significance” issue with the core spray system. Results from the second review, which wrapped up April 8, are expected in late May.
O’Brien said that preliminarily, the second inspection looks positive, and to the company’s knowledge inspectors don’t have any immediate concerns. He added that Entergy is looking forward to working closely with NRC throughout the increased oversight process.
