The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the transfer of the Indian Point nuclear power plant licenses from Entergy Nuclear Operations to Holtec International, as owner, and Holtec Decommissioning International (HDI) as decommissioning operator.
Holtec and HDI have announced that they intend to expedite the decommissioning and dismantling of the power plant.
Holtec International is a privately held energy technology company based in Camden, New Jersey. The Business Journal reported in April 2019 that it had agreed to buy Indian Point Units 1, 2 and 3 for decommissioning from Entergy Corp. The sale, which will take effect after Unit 3 has been shut down in 2021 and permanently defueled, includes the transfer of the licenses, spent fuel, decommissioning liabilities and Nuclear Decommissioning Trusts (NDT) for the three units.
Units 1 and 2 at Indian Point already are permanently shut down; Unit 3 is scheduled to permanently shut down in April 2021. The license transfer also includes the plant”™s dry cask spent fuel storage installation.
The NRC order approving the license transfer is effective immediately, but the license transfer will not be finalized until after Unit 3”™s permanent shutdown and the completion of the transaction between Entergy, Holtec and HDI. At that point, the NRC will amend Indian Point”™s licenses to reflect the completion of the transfer.
Additionally, several hearing requests are pending before the commission. The transfer approval is subject to the commission”™s authority to rescind, modify or condition the transfer based on the outcome of any subsequent hearing on the application.
New York’s Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo this afternoon blasted the NRC for approving the license transfer without holding a hearing that had been requested by the state.
“Cleaning up Indian Point will be complicated and expensive, and for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to act without considering New York’s request for a hearing is unacceptable and denies New Yorkers the public and transparent process they deserve,” Cuomo said. “We remain committed to ensuring that the decommissioning process is done quickly and prioritizes the safety of New Yorkers and as such, we are considering all options at our disposal to see that the shutdown of this facility protects the public’s health and the environment. Critical to that is for any new owner to have the capability and financial wherewithal to expeditiously and thoroughly decommission and restore the site. New York is unwavering in our commitment to holding any owner of Indian Point to the highest standards throughout this process and we will continue to fight to ensure it is shut down safely.”
In reviewing the license transfer application, the NRC staff considered the Holtec and HDI technical and financial qualifications, the adequacy of the Indian Point decommissioning trust funds to complete the radiological decommissioning of the plant, and the adequacy of plans to manage the onsite storage of spent nuclear fuel until it can be removed for storage or disposal elsewhere. The NRC staff concluded that Holtec and HDI met the regulatory, legal, technical and financial requirements necessary to qualify as licensees.
