VT Yankee decommissioning fund improves

The decommissioning fund for Vermont Yankee is showing signs of improvement.

Entergy Nuclear says the fund's shortfall has shrunk to 58-million-dollars.

But it's still about $100 million short of the $513 million that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says Entergy should have in the fund by 2012. That's when the plant's license is to expire.

Entergy is seeking a 20-year license extension for Vermont Yankee. The company hopes to have enough money in the fund to decommission the plant in the 2030s.

In a filing with the N-R-C, Entergy said it would provide federal regulators with an unspecified "financial assurance mechanism" later this year to prove it is good for the money.

The status of the fund will be discussed Thursday at a commission meeting.