The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant can operate reliably after 2012 but must improve in several respects.
That’s the conclusion of a new report commissioned by the state Legislature. The report by a special Public Oversight Panel also calls for stepped up public scrutiny of the plant’s operations.
Vermont Yankee, owned by Mississippi-based Entergy Nuclear, is seeking to extend its operating license for 20 years beyond the plant’s currently scheduled shutdown in 2012.
Such license extensions are reviewed by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but Vermont is the only state in the country that also gives its Legislature a say over nuclear re-licensing.