Entergy said it is closing Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant by the end of next year for economic reasons. The company said it cannot compete with cheaper sources of electricity production, like natural gas.
Entergy Corporation also owns Pilgrim Nuclear in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Bill Mohl, a senior executive at Entergy, told Vermont Public Radio there are no plans to shutter the Massachusetts facility.
“Pilgrim is a slightly larger facility and has some slightly different characteristics than VY.”
But activist Mary Lampert said the financial pressures forcing Vermont Yankee to close are also affecting Pilgrim Nuclear.
She says Pilgrim is old and will need pricey repairs, which won’t make sense as long as wholesale electricity prices remain so low.
“Pilgrim is an antique. Like all antiques, things start falling apart and it's necessary to expend a lot of money.”
Pilgrim got permission from the feds in 2012 to run for another 20 years, but Lampert doesn’t think the plant will last that long.
