Funds To Shut Nuclear Plants Fall Short

As recently as December 2007, the fund held $416 million. Now it stands at about $384 million — a rebound from where it stood a few months ago but not even close to the estimated $932 million it will eventually cost to dismantle the plant.

Entergy Corp. is seeking a 20-year license extension for Vermont Yankee, and is hoping to have enough money in the fund to decommission the plant in the 2030s. Jay Thayer, the plant's vice president for operations, said that if the decommissioning fund continues to perform poorly, the company may ask for permission to idle the plant for as long as 60 years under the Safestor program. That would put off the dismantling until 2092.

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On the Net:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov

Vermont Yankee: http://www.safecleanreliable.com/

Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org

Nuclear Energy Institute: http://www.nei.org/

Luminant Corp.: http://www.luminant.com