NRC Says Entergy Must Make Decommissioning Payment

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant must make a scheduled $40 million payment to the plant's decommissioning fund despite a 20-year federal license extension given to the Vernon reactor.

The NRC says it would be premature to cancel the payment because the Vernon plant might not be able to operate after next March when the plant's current license expires. Vermont Yankee's owner, Entergy Nuclear, and the state of Vermont are engaged in a legal battle about whether the plant will be able to continue operating.

The money will be used to shore up the plant's decommissioning fund.

The Burlington Free Press says Entergy had sought to cancel the $40 million payment after the NRC extended its license.