Vermont Yankee is a lady who loves trouble. Last year part of one of the nuclear power plant’s cooling towers collapsed. At one point in July this year the reactor’s coolant system was leaking 60 gallons of water a minute. That leak was found to be caused by ‘missing brackets’. Because that’s just what you need in a nuclear reactor’s coolant system, isn’t it? Missing brackets. Just why the brackets were missing and who was responsible has yet to be revealed.
And then we hear that Vermont has just received a ‘hot shipment’. No, it’s not a delivery of steaming takeaway pizza but a load of lead shielding from another nuclear site. It was ‘hot’ because the radioactivity from the shielding was found to have exceeded federal radiation levels. When the shielding left the Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts to travel to Vermont, its radiation level was in the ‘acceptable’ range. Mysteriously, when it arrived at Vermont it was above the level. Why was this the case and how had it happened? Nobody knows
That’s the thing about the nuclear industry. It’s PR people, supporters, and cheerleaders can categorically, absolutely, and positively assure you that it is safe, cheap and clean. They’re definite, categorical, and cast-iron with their assurances and information.
Then something goes wrong and they’re all scratching their heads and shrugging their shoulders and shuffling their feet. They don’t know how such a thing could have happened. They don’t have the information. They’ll get back to you.
Once the fuss has died down again they’re all, ‘Hey! Nuclear power! Trust us, it’s great!’ again. And so it goes on…
– from greenpeace
The decommissioning trust fund for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has taken a hit on Wall Street, dropping by 10 percent or more than $40 million in the past month, officials said. The fund, which would pay to dismantle Vermont Yankee, dropped from $427 million on March 31 to $397 million on Sept. 30. The fund is about $400 million short of what will be needed to clean up the plant, according to recent estimates.
There is some good news. Vermont Yankee has found a rich backer to bail her out of her financial troubles – the US taxpayer! Legislation was drawn up last year in Vermont to force the reactor’s owner Entergy to make financial guarantees for the reactors decommissioning. Vermont’s Governor James Douglas vetoed the legislation instead trusting to Entergy’s goodwill on the matter.
It now seems the energy company is trying to wriggle out of its responsibilities – and they haven’t made a contribution to the decommissioning fund since 2002.
– from greenpeace
Vermont Yankee is a General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) type nuclear power plant currently owned by Entergy. It is located in the town of Vernon, Vermont and generates 620 megawatts (MWe) of electricity.