Deconstruction of buildings and structures outside the controlled area of the 670-MW Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts began immediately after Holtec International completed acquisition of the plant’s assets on Aug. 26. The plant ceased operating May 31 and site restoration is scheduled for completion in late 2024. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission transferred the plant’s operating license from Entergy Corp. to Holtec subsidiaries, including Holtec Decommissioning International, the decommissioning operator for the $1.13-billion project. A joint venture of Holtec and SNC-Lavalin will complete the demolition and site cleanup. The used nuclear fuel now located in a spent fuel pool will be moved in less than three years to a dry storage system designed by Holtec. Other contaminated parts of the reactor will be dismantled and transferred to high-capacity transport packages. Entergy has agreed to sell two other nuclear plants to Holtec for decommissioning, the two nuclear units totaling 1,060 MW at Indian Point, N.Y., and the single-unit 805-MW Palisades nuclear plant on Lake Michigan. Indian Point units will shut down in 2020 and 2021. Palisades will cease operations in 2022.

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