‘Lemon’ of A-Plants Near Denver Closed Voluntarily--a First
The nation’s only gas-cooled commercial nuclear power plant, troubled by numerous problems since its opening in 1976, has been permanently closed down, the plant’s operator said today.
The Public Service Co. of Colorado said a new problem forced the utility to shut down the Fort St. Vrain plant 35 miles northeast of Denver, dubbed by some critics as “Fort St. Drain.”
“This is the first commercial nuclear reactor in the country to be shut down voluntarily by a utility because it wasn’t performing up to their expectations,” said Ron Binz, director of the Colorado office of consumer counsel.
The plant has produced only one-eighth of the electricity it was designed for since it opened in 1976. The company has invested about $175 million in the plant, while decommissioning it will cost the company about $233 million.
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