The 566-MW pressurised water reactor unit was shut down permanently on 7 May 2013. In June 2017, Dominion completed the used nuclear fuel transfer to the onsite dry fuel storage facility.
The remaining decommissioning work will be executed by EnergySolutions and will result in complete dismantlement of the facility and removal of all radioactive waste.
“Progressing with decommissioning now will accelerate completion of decommissioning activities and allow considerations for beneficial reuse of the property years ahead of the original decommissioning schedule,” EnergySolutions said.
Dominion shut Kewaunee after it failed to find a buyer. The company has said the decision to close the plant was based “purely on economics”.
Kewaunee began commercial operation in 1974 and in February 2011 was given a 20-year licence extension allowing it to potentially operate until 2033.
EnergySolutions’ other decommissioning projects include Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, San Onofre in Southern California and Fort Calhoun in Nebraska. The Salt Lake City company recently completed decommissioning work at Zion in Illinois and the La Crosse in Wisconsin.
