Vermont Yankee closure will negatively affect the economy of the region

Forum Contacts RSS		RUSSIAN

AtomInfo.Ru, PUBLISHED 27.12.2014

The final closure of the American nuclear power plant Vermont Yankee scheduled for Tuesday, will result in a loss of 640 MW of capacity and a thousand-odd jobs.

Vermont Yankee NPP consists of a single unit boiling water reactor BWR. It has been commissioned on 30 November 1972.

The plant employs 550 people with an average salary of 105 thousand dollars per year. As a power company, it was important for the three of US States.

Among the only direct losses one shall be noted the loss of about 1,200 jobs in the next five years. This includes the reduction of staff and the loss of others jobs associated with the operation and maintenance of the NPP.

The cuts have already begun on the plant itself. In August 2013, when for the first time the plans for the final closure made public, it worked 625 people on the plant, now there are 550.

Once in January the fuel will be unloaded from the reactor core, the plant will meet a new wave of cuts and only 316 employees will remain. After the transfer of spent fuel from the pool to the dry storage (years 2017-2020 years), the number of staff will fall to 127 people.

But this cut will not be the final one. Ultimately, only 24 workers will stay on the site in the 20-ties.

The loss of a highly qualified specialist will be noticed almost everywhere - in stores, restaurants, clubs, hospitality sector and so on.

Also, the closing of the station will strike a powerful blow for charity in the region. Already this year, the power plant owners spent for charitable purposes only 175 thousand dollars, substantially less than in previous years.

Topics: Decommissioning, USA

Other news:

TEPCO has unloaded all assemblies from spent fuel pool of Fukushima Daiichi-4

The unloading was launched on November 18, 2013 and ended on 22 December 2014.

CEFR completes 100% power test

The reactor was working during 144 hours.

Kursk NPP generates 800 billion kilowatt-hours

This amount of electricity would be enough to provide electricity to the whole of Russia for 9.5 months.

Hero of the day

From abacus to TOPAZ

All equipment fitted into the four self-propelled track-type platforms. On one of those was placed a reactor, on the second - control unit, on the third - heat exchanger, and on the forth, the last one - turbine.

INTERVIEW

Lev Kochetkov
Whether at once appeared sodium coolant in Russian fast reactors, or sodium has had rivals? What types of fuel have been regarded as a fuel for the fast reactor program, and do we need such a high BG?

OPINION

Falling Wednesday
Start of the third block of Olkiluoto NPP is already delayed by more than five years, and the delay will only increase.