VERNON, Vt. (WWLP) – Concern has extended across the country after an accident at a nuclear reservation in Washington state.
- Tunnel with nuclear waste collapsed in Washington state
- Tunnel collapse latest safety issue at Hanford Nuclear Reservation
- Energy chief says hole has been filled at nuclear waste site
The company that owns the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant said that Hanford and Vermont Yankee are completely different nuclear facilities, and safety is always a priority.
An underground tunnel containing radioactive waste collapsed at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington on Tuesday. No workers were hurt and no radiation was released.
Vermont Yankee was shut down in December of 2014, but the decommissioning of the plant is still underway in Vernon, Vermont.
Dom Cerone of Heath, told 22News, “I know some security guards over there, and I have never met more professional people in my life, in terms of that work. If an accident were to happen, the right people would know.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversees safety at the site.
The plant’s owner, Entergy, agreed last January to sell Vermont Yankee to NorthStar for decommissioning and demolition of the plant. They’re still waiting for approvals from the NRC and the state of Vermont. If this agreement is approved, Entergy said the plant would close in 2030.
