Zion Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Project on Budget and Ahead of Schedule Six Years after the Project Started

October 25, 2016 – Salt Lake City, Utah – EnergySolutions announced today that on September 30, 2016 its subsidiary, ZionSolutions, has successfully completed the 6th year of decommissioning the twin Unit Zion Nuclear Power Station with record setting performance.

The project is on budget and currently reporting the decommissioning effort is 88% complete and several years ahead of the original 10 year schedule.  The accelerated decommissioning schedule will directly translate into a lower overall decommissioning cost.

To date the project has established new industry world records of D&D achievement including:

  • Design and construction of the most modern and largest D&D Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI)
  • Transfer of spent fuel to the ISFSI in 366 days setting the world record for shortest duration spent fuel transfer process
  • Achieved an industry 1st in the successful segmentation, removal, transportation and disposal of both reactor vessels
  • Completion of the D&D industry’s largest and most efficient major component removal and disposal project

In addition, projections indicate nearly a three-fold reduction in overall worker exposure as compared to the previous industry best performance. At the current status of 88% complete, ZionSolutions end-of-project dose goal has been reduced to 435-person-Rem, which is significantly better than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s standard PWR estimate of 1100 rem for an equivalent 2-unit site and less than half the original project goal of 900 person-rem. This key performance indicator reflects a total person-Rem dose per reactor megawatt production of 0.20 which equates to 35% of the industry’s previous best performance of 0.57 achieved at Maine Yankee.

“This six year overall performance reflects our workers dedication to excellence in the safe decommissioning of the Zion Nuclear Power Station and we are extremely proud of our employees for the efficient work completed,” stated Ken Robuck, President EnergySolutions. “In consistently managing our radiological work practices and protecting our workers from exposure we have been able to safely remove more than 98% of all the radioactive source term of the Zion plant which has systematically lowered the execution risk of the project per our execution plan.  Additionally, we anticipate a significant reduction in financial assurance requirements in early 2017 due to the accelerated completion schedule and our on-going successful performance of the project.”

Demolition of the turbine hall is near completion and then attention will be turned to the dismantlement of the containment buildings.

About EnergySolutions

   EnergySolutions offers customers a full range of integrated services and solutions, including nuclear operations, characterization, decommissioning, decontamination, site closure, transportation, nuclear materials management, processing, recycling, and disposition of nuclear waste, and research and engineering services across the nuclear fuel cycle.  For additional information about EnergySolutions visit www.energysolutions.com.

For additional media questions please contact Mark Walker at 801-231-9194 mwalker@energysolutions.com.