US NorthStar Group Services has finalised an agreement to accept ownership of the Vallecitos Nuclear Center, in Sunol, California from GE Vernova and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas (GEH) for nuclear decontamination, decommissioning, and environmental site restoration. The deal, announced in May 2023, closed following US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approvals, These included licence transfer from GEH to NorthStar and satisfaction of all other closing conditions.
“Our team has developed deep experience in the safe and efficient decontamination, decommissioning, and restoration of former nuclear reactor sites across the country, including the successful implementation of NRC Licence Termination Plans at five other research reactor sites nationwide,” said NorthStar CEO Scott State.
The deal is modelled on NorthStar’s acquisition of the former Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station approved by NRC and state regulators in 2018. The NorthStar-led decommissioning project at Vermont Yankee was praised by NRC officials as the “best in the country,” and is currently ahead of schedule for on-budget completion by 2026.
Since the Vallecitos deal was first announced in 2023, NorthStar has been active on the site continuing work begun by GEH. In November 2023, NorthStar marked a major milestone, completing the removal of the Vallecitos boiling water reactor (VBWR) from the Vallecitos Nuclear Center and shipping it for safe disposal at the facility operated by NorthStar affiliate, Waste Control Specialists (WCS) in Andrews County, Texas. As with its other ongoing nuclear decommissioning projects, NorthStar will dispose of additional low-level radioactive waste from the Vallecitos decommissioning at the WCS facility.
The VBWR was the first privately owned and operated nuclear power plant to deliver significant quantities of electricity to a public utility grid, along with several other test reactors, laboratories and hot cell facilities located on the site. Under the parties’ decommissioning completion agreement, NorthStar’s efforts will restore the Vallecitos complex to conditions suitable for productive reuse for other commercial or industrial purposes.
NorthStar, through its Accelerated Decommissioning Partners joint venture, is also decommissioning the Crystal River 3 commercial nuclear reactor complex in Citrus County, Florida under a contract with Duke Energy, following NRC and state regulatory approval in 2020.
