GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has been awarded a contract by Comprehensive Decommissioning International (CDI) to decommission the reactor internals and reactor pressure vessel at the Pilgrim nuclear power station in Plymouth, Massachusetts (USA).

Using ‘cutting-edge’ technology, GEH (www.nuclear.gepower.com) will dismantle, segment and pack the internals and pressure vessel of the boiling-water reactor, which was shut down in May 2019.

All ‘handling and segmentation’ will be carried out underwater, using the ‘Primary Segmentation System’ that was designed in conjunction with REI Nuclear; GEH acquired the business and certain assets of REI Nuclear in December 2018.

On 26 August 2019, Holtec International’s subsidiaries completed the acquisition of the Pilgrim nuclear power station from Entergy Corp, after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the transfer of the plant’s operating licence to Holtec subsidiaries Holtec Pilgrim (as the owner) and Holtec Decommissioning International (as the licence holder and decommissioning operator for the plant).

Holtec will contract with CDI, a joint-venture company of Holtec International and SNC-Lavalin, to perform the decommissioning, including demolition and site clean-up.

GEH recently completed the segmentation of reactor internals at Oskarshamn nuclear power plant (OKG) Unit 2 in Sweden and is now undertaking the segmentation of OKG Unit 1.

In July 2019, GEH was awarded a contract by CDI to decommission reactor internals and the reactor pressure vessel at the Oyster Creek nuclear generating plant in Lacey Township, New Jersey.