26 Oct (NucNet): US utility Dominion is going to close and decommission its single-unit Kewaunee power plant in Wisconsin after the company was unable to find a buyer for the 535-megawatt reactor facility.
Dominion said the pressurised water reactor unit is expected to end power production in the second quarter of 2013.
Kewaunee began commercial operation in 1974 and in February 2011 was given a 20-year licence extension allowing it to potentially operate until 2033.
According to Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer Thomas Farrell, the decision to close the plant was based “purely on economics”.
In April 2011, Dominion said it planned to sell Kewaunee as part of a regular review of its portfolio of assets, but the company now says it was unable to find a buyer.
Mr Farrell said the company plans to recognise an after-tax charge of 281 million US dollars (217 million euro) in the third quarter of 2012 related to the closing and decommissioning of the station. The one-time charge will be excluded from operating earnings.
The station will remain under the oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission throughout the decommissioning process.
