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LACEY TOWNSHIP – The Oyster Creek nuclear power plant stopped sending electricity to the power grid Monday at noon, having used nuclear power to power about 600,000 homes a year for almost 50 years old.
The closure of Oyster Creek was marked by an internal ceremony for workers, of which about 300 will remain on site at least at the beginning of the decommissioning process.
At its peak, the nuclear plant employed 700 people, and about a year ago 400 worked there.
Its shutdown leaves New Jersey with only three nuclear reactors, on the Salem and Hope Creek complex in Salem County.
Exelon also held a public ceremony for officials, factory retirees and the media to mark the closure of the factory. It was at its training center outside the safest perimeter of the factory, which is protected by armed guards.
The plant was the oldest nuclear power plant in the United States.
"I have a lot of emotion," said Jeff Dostal, a long-time employee. He will oversee the decommissioning, whether the factory remains in the hands of the current owner, Exelon Generation, or is sold, as proposed by Exelon, to Holtec International of Camden.
Decommissioning involves the decontamination of the site, the removal of buildings and infrastructure and the safe storage of highly radioactive spent fuel rods from decades of nuclear power generation.
Dostal has been working at the plant for 35 years and has held almost every position there, he said. He saw the plant turn the area of a sleepy village of Pine Barrens into the bustling city of 27,000 people that it is today.
"My current job is the public safety of the site and the township," said Dostal, a 28-year-old resident of Lacey. "Whether it's Exelon or Holtec, I'm going to make sure it's done safely."
"It's a sad day," said Lacey Mayor Nicholas Juliano, adding that he wanted the plant to remain open. But he said he hoped that at least part of the site will soon be used for another major business goal.
The factory paid about $ 2.3 million a year in property taxes, but this amount is expected to decrease now, as the value of the property could decrease.
However, according to the State Department of Community Affairs, the township will continue to receive $ 11 million annually in tax revenue.
"Tax assistance to tax revenue is no longer tied to the value of public utility property in a municipality," said department spokeswoman Tammori Petti. "Instead, it is based on what a municipality has received in the previous year. As a result, the closure of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station will have no impact on the energy tax receipt payments for the Township of Lacey. "
The plant will be missed in many ways, said Mike Roche, former vice president of the plant site, whose career spanned from 1974 to his retirement in 2001.
"The community has been a very strong supporter," said Roche. "In the '70s, the Wall Street Journal had an article called" This city loves its nuclear power plant, "and it's true today."
Oyster Creek began commercial operations on December 23, 1969, and since then has produced about 200 million megawatts of carbon-free electricity, according to Exelon. He has injected about $ 3 billion into the local economy, wages, taxes, charitable contributions and local purchases, the company said.
Its closure is the result of an agreement with the state, which avoids having to build cooling towers to protect marine life in the Barnegat Bay area.
The state demanded its closure in December 2019, and company officials said it was profitable to close this year.
The Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station, located near Oswego, New York, is now the oldest operating nuclear power plant in the United States.
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