Photo Credit to Corey Coyle
Before a former power station in Kewaunee County can be repowered, a process already underway needs to be completed first.
As we confirmed last Friday, Utah-based EnergySolutions and Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group have officially filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pursue a new nuclear power generation at the shuttered Kewaunee Power Station in Wisconsin in January.
However, the energy groups are waiting to complete the decommissioning of the Kewaunee Power Station before submitting a major licensing application in June 2028.
According to the NRC, decommissioning a power station includes developing regulations and guidance to assist staff and the regulated community, as well as conducting research to develop data, techniques, and models used to assess public exposure from the release of radioactive material.
They must also review and approve decommissioning plans and license and amendment requests for decommissioning facilities.
The Kewaunee Power Station ceased operation in May 2013, with fuel permanently removed from the reactor vessel in May that year.
But in January 2024, the NRC granted Kewaunee Solutions Inc. and EnergySolutions an exemption from certain requirements to allow the use of a portion of funds for site restoration activities.
The full decommissioning process is expected to be fully completed by 2031.
EnergySolutions and WEC Energy could pursue two primary pathways to obtain a license to recommission the power station.
The first is an early site permit to evaluate the Kewaunee site’s suitability.
They could also apply for a Combined License, a one-step process that authorizes both construction and operation simultaneously.
There seems to be a need for a power station to meet energy demands from AI data centers, which the NRC says could bring significant economic revitalization to the region.
