US-based EnergySolutions on 29 April signed a contract with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) to decommission the Fort Calhoun NPP in Nebraska, which shut down in 2016 after 43 years of operation. The single unit 484MWe pressurised water reactor was the smallest rated capacity among all operating commercial nuclear power reactors in North America.

EnergySolutions will provide “technical and specialised project expertise,” while OPPD personnel will manage the overall decommissioning, according to a press release from OPPD.

Fort Calhoun, which is owned and licensed to OPPD, but operated by Exelon since 2012, underwent extensive upgrades between 2011 and 2013.   Although licensed to operate until 2033, market conditions, including historically low natural gas prices and lower energy consumption, led to a decision to close the plant.

 “We appreciate the confidence OPPD has in EnergySolutions to work with the Fort Calhoun workforce to safely decommission the facility,” stated Ken Robuck, president and CEO of EnergySolutions.  “We are confident this partnership will have tremendous success in safely decommissioning the facility on budget and schedule.”

OPPD has said it will use the deferred dismantling Safestor decommissioning option for Fort Calhoun, allowing radioactivity to naturally decay for up to 60 years before work begins, which is estimated to cost $1.2 billion.

EnergySolutions recently completed decommissioning of the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor (SEFOR) in Arkansas. The company said it would also finalise decommissioning projects of the La Crosse plant in Wisconsin and the Zion plant in Illinois later this year. It also provided support for early nuclear power plant decommissioning projects, including those at Fort St  Vrain, Trojan, Connecticut Yankee, Maine Yankee and Yankee Rowe.

Photo: Fort Calhoun in Nebraska (Credit: OPPD)