TOPEKA — The Kansas Corporation Commission has adjusted Wolf Creek’s Decommissioning Financing Plan, in part to extend the time spent fuel rods will stay on site.
During a recent hearing, TLG Services originally prepared two decommissioning cost estimate plans. In past years, the KCC has approved the DECON method, which removes structures, systems and components with radioactive contamination and disposes them at a commercially-operated low-level waste disposal facility or they are decontaminated to a level that lets them be released for unrestricted use, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s online glossary. However, this time the KCC approved the SAFSTOR method, which is a deferred contamination over 60 years where the unit is shut down and safely stored until it is removed. TLG later prepared a third option, DECON with so-called long-term spent fuel management.
Wolf Creek and KCC staff filed a joint motion to approve the DECON alternate method, but the KCC felt there was too much speculation — so it approved the SAFSTOR approach.
Estimated costs would be $814 million for DECON, with that process ending in 2051. The DECON alternate cost estimate was up to $1.09 billion, with work ending in 2075. The SAFSTOR method could cost around $1.09 billion, although the process wouldn’t end until 2106.
Wolf Creek, Westar and Kansas City Power & Light submitted their latest decommissioning plan back in September. The is the KCC’s 11th review over the last three decades of decommissioning costs associated with Wolf Creek.
Wolf Creek is deferring comment to Westar and to KCP&L. Jeremy McNeive, who serves as spokesman for Westar and KCP&L as the companies merge, says the decision supports increased funding for both companies, and there would be no rate impact for Westar customers if the KCC accepts a pending rate case settlement request already supported by KCC staff and the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board.
