BUCHANAN – The Indian Point Unit 2 will shut down the reactor Thursday as scheduled for the final time, after more than 45 years of producing clean, safe and reliable power for New York. The other operating unit at the site, Unit 3, is scheduled to permanently shut down by April 30, 2021.
“Over the last 45 years, thousands of dedicated professionals have operated Unit 2 at Indian Point – safely, securely and reliably,” said Chris Bakken, Entergy’s chief nuclear officer. “We owe each of them our thanks for a job well done and for their commitment to the
highest standards of professionalism.”
Announced in 2017, the shutdown of both operating units at Indian Point is pursuant
to a settlement agreement with the state and was the result of a number of factors, including sustained low current and projected wholesale energy prices that reduced revenues.
As part of its commitment to employees at Indian Point, the company has previously
announced a plan to find a position within Entergy for those qualified employees who are
willing to relocate. Currently, more than 40 employees from Indian Point have accepted offers
to continue with Entergy in other locations.
Unit 2 began commercial operations on Aug. 1, 1974 and was purchased by Entergy in
2001.
In April 2019, Entergy announced the proposed post-shutdown sale of the subsidiaries
that own Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 to a Holtec International subsidiary. Holtec and its team
plan to initiate decommissioning at Indian Point promptly following regulatory approvals and
transaction close in 2021, and it expects to release portions of the site for re-use nearly 40
years sooner than if Entergy continued to own the facility.
Holtec, through its affiliate Comprehensive Decommissioning International, will hire
Entergy’s employees at Indian Point who have been selected for “Phase 1” of
decommissioning.
Entergy owns and operates five nuclear power units in its regulated utility business,
and is committed to the continued operation of its nuclear fleet in those locations. Its nuclear
power plants in those markets are located in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, and have
more than 5,000 megawatts of clean, reliable, and economic electricity generating capacity for
customers in those regions.
