entergy

Entergy’s Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant’s operating license would have expired on March 21, 2012, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the license to 2032. Vermont’s legislature and a vocal part of the state’s population don’t like the idea of Vermont Yankee’s continued operation. So, when confronted with an...[read more]

The court ruled in favor of Entergy in the recent court case. In consequence, Entergy applied to the Public Service Board for a Certificate of Public Good for Vermont Yankee.Judge Murtha's ruling in the case is over 100 pages long. At one level, however, it can be summarized as follows:The State of Vermont tried to alter a contract...[read more]

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, supplier of 73% of Vermont's emission-free electricity (and approximately one-third of the state's total electricity), won its day in federal court today, thus granting it the right to keep the doors open and the lights on (for the rest of the state). Vermont resident Meredith Angwin has been...[read more]

“I was a huge supporter of cap and trade,” said Wayne Leonard, the CEO of Entergy, a $11 billion utility company. “We developed enormously elegant solutions, but they couldn’t get done.” Taxing carbon emissions is the next best way to deal with the threat of global climate disruptions, he said, in part because it would give the energy...[read more]

The utility places a $100 million bet despite a hostile political environment The future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor got a bit brighter this week as its owner and operator the Entergy Corp. (NYSE:ETR) announced its board of directors had approved the fabrication of fuel and the refueling of the Vermont Yankee reactor in October...[read more]

Entergy press release: New Orleans, La. – Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) announced today that, based on comprehensive review and analysis, it has concluded that joining the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) will provide meaningful long-term benefits for the customers of the Entergy operating companies. The Entergy operating...[read more]

This morning, Entergy filed suit to keep the Vermont Yankee plant open by requiring Vermont to honor its signed contracts. The State of Vermont signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Entergy in 2002. The State has attempted to amend that contract on a one-sided basis. Entergy's lawsuit was described in a Burlington Free Press...[read more]

Rock blunts scissor ~ the federal agency concludes the reactor is safe to operate for another 20 years. In the classic strategy game of rock, scissors, paper, as it has played out in the dispute over the relicensing of the 600 MW Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor, the governor and the legislature have done everything possible to cut the...[read more]

ESBWR gets final safety evaluation report GE-Hitachi is due a victory lap after learning this week that the NRC has issued the final safety evaluation report for the firm's 1,500 MW ESBWR reactor design. It is a major milestone toward certifying the reactor for sale in the U.S. Because the NRC certification is considered to be the "gold...[read more]

Vermont Yankee Might Close, and Vermont Was DesperateAs I pointed in in a recent post, in previous power agreements with Hydro-Québec (HQ), Vermont took 10% of HQ power, and in return, gave HQ 40% of its profits. Not good for Vermont.New power agreements with HQ were announced this year. Are they better? No. They were deals struck by...[read more]

Deal with New Jersey will let it operate for 10 more years without having to build cooling towers No one is happy with the decision by Exelon (NYSE:EXC) to close its 615-MW boiling water reactor at Oyster Creek in New Jersey. The company made the announcement on December 8 that it would shut down the plant in 2019, just halfway...[read more]

Right after the election, Entergy announced Vermont Yankee was on the market. The local response was completely predictable: "Nobody in their right mind would buy that plant!" I disagree. I think someone will buy it.I need to point out that I have no insider information on this. I only know what I read in the paper.Myth One: Nobody...[read more]

John Herron is the President, CEO and Chief Nuclear Officer for Entergy. He shares some thoughts following his appearance last week before the Blue Ribbon Commission Subcommittee:I recently had the opportunity to address the Transportation and Storage Subcommittee of the Blue Ribbon Commission. Our industry has some challenges to...[read more]

By Kelle Barfield Clearly, our attempts to generate greater understanding of energy challenges exclude no member of the public. Young and old, Democrat and Republican, male and female–all must be the aim of public information about U.S. energy policy in general and nuclear energy in particular. Years of industry surveys, however,...[read more]

Public perceptions of problems at nuclear reactors are being cut down to size Getting an accurate bead on nuclear energy controversies is often more an issue of changing perceptions than the reshaping the physical dimensions of a problem. Also, the realities of having nuclear reactors that generate electricity in place can trump...[read more]