Nuclear power plant waste facilities closing

Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut will close three waste storage facilities at its power station in Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) reports .

The Millstone Nuclear Power Station (Millstone) in Waterford is the only nuclear power plant in Connecticut, according to DEEP. The plant has been operating since the 1960s.

More than one-third of the electricity generated in Connecticut comes from nuclear power as of 2022, according to the U.S. Environmental Information Administration .

The Millstone facility has been a source of controversy recently. Connecticut residents have faced steep rate hikes in electric rates over the past few years, Inside Investigator reported. Democrats and Republicans have been pointing fingers at each other, trying to explain the rate hikes . Democrats blame a 2017 decision which required Eversource and United Illuminating not only to buy half of their electricity from Millstone, but to pay 2.5 times the market price.

Another controversy surrounding the power station is a proposed data center. NE Edge announced an interest in opening a 1.5 million – square-foot data center on Millstone’s campus. The data center would be powered by the plant.

A local group called Concerned Citizens of Waterford and East Lyme (CCWEL) formed to oppose this plan. They are concerned about noise, light pollution, the impact on wildlife, and the amount of energy the data center would need, according to a CCWEL pamphlet .

Two of the three waste storage facilities that Dominion Energy is trying to close were built in the 1980s, according to DEEP. The third was built in 2001.

The plan lays out the process of removing waste and contaminated material—including soil—to offsite facilities and the decontamination of any remaining structures. The plans are not finalized. The DEEP also states that, just because a plan was submitted to public comment, does not mean it has been approved by the department.

The Millstone complex is surrounded by industrial, commercial and residential areas.

Even though it is closing some waste facilities, Dominion Energy will continue to operate in Connecticut. In 2019, it signed a 10-year contract with the state. Earlier this year, Dominion Energy leadership stated they wanted to extend Millstone’s operating license by 80 years.

“This is a huge win for Connecticut, the region, and our colleagues at Millstone,” said Paul Koonce, Dominion Energy’s president and CEO of the Power Generation Group at the time. Koonce has since retired. “Not only does this preserve the vast majority of Connecticut’s carbon-free electricity, it preserves good jobs for the 1,500 women and men who work at Millstone and keeps 4,000 other residents employed.”

Comment period for the planned closure of the three waste storage facilities ended on Tuesday. There will be a public hearing about the closure in the future. That date has not been announced.

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