EnergySolutions Inks Contract For Unique D&D Plan at Zion
In a first-of-its-kind deal, waste management firm EnergySolutions Inc. has taken control of the shut-down Zion nuclear powerplant near Chicago from owner Exelon Corp.; the firm will decommission and dismantle the facility, built in 1973, and return it to a greenfield state under budget and ahead of schedule.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted EnergySolutions, Salt Lake City, control of the Lake County, Ill., plant’s license. The firm is set to clean up the 257-acre Lake Michigan site in seven to 10 years, including paperwork and environmental remediation, and return license and site control to Chicago-based Exelon.The industry standard is about 12 years.