Page 159 - Beyond Decommissioning

140 Beyond Decommissioning

the Federal Government develops a national spent fuel disposal site or a centralized
store (Fig. 6.4). A small number of CY staff remain to ensure safety of the CY spent
fuel store.
For Haddam town, the heaviest impact of CY’s closure was the decrease in the tax
revenues stemming from the plant value, which would cover the costs of road and
bridge maintenance, and the town’s portion of the regional school district budget.
Eventually, due to this factor and others, Haddam had to manage a major economic
change with scarce financial assets, significant debts, and reduced revenue. Unfortu-
nately, during the years of CY operation, Haddam had chosen not to invest the profits
in developing new assets, but only to preserve existing conditions.
An Economic Development Plan was made available by consultants in 1997. The
plan included a number of new activities: tourism, retail, lodging, incubator space,
home business, industrial parks, and offices. The plan also included provisions for
public water service to two villages. The plan also suggested that the town be proac-
tive for the construction of a 750-MW gas-fired power plant on an existing parking lot
at the CY site, taking advantage of its proximity to water and electricity lines.
Shortly before the Economic Development Plan was released, AES Corporation, a
2
Virginia-based energy company expressed interest in purchasing 81,000 m of CY
land to construct the 750-MW gas-fired plant. The AES proposal was a $310 million
project that would contribute up to $200 million to Haddam’s tax base. In early 2001,
the project went further ahead as AES and CY signed a draft agreement for a land
purchase. In early 2002, however, the proposal was dropped, with AES mentioning
security, economic, and supply issues for the cancellation. Since then, the only change

Fig. 6.4 Spent fuel casks stored at Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI).
Courtesy of Nuclear Regulatory Commission.