Located in Haddam Neck, Connecticut, the Connecticut Yankee (CY) nuclear power plant began commercial operation in 1968 and produced more than 110 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity during its 28-year operating history.

In 1996, the CY Board of Directors voted to permanently close and decommission the power plant. After two years of planning and preparation, actual decommissioning began in 1998 and was completed in 2007.

Decommissioning reduces the amount of plant related radioactivity on the site, which allows the site to be released for future use. Decommissioning is a step-by-step, methodical deconstruction process that involves removing and disposing ofall radioactive materials to a licensed facility. These materials include piping, tanks, valves, pumps and components. Decommissioning also reduces radioactivity and hazardous materials that may remain in buildings and on the site after radioactive materials are removed.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved Connecticut Yankee’s License Termination Plan (LTP) in November 2002. The LTP is a detailed document that describes the survey process for measuring any residual radioactivity remaining on the site, and how CY will demonstratethat the NRC criteria for unrestricted site release have been met. The NRC approved the termination of CY’s operating license on the former plant area and condensed the license to contain the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) on November 2007, freeing up the site for other use.

In October 2007, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection approved a stewardship permit for the CY site, indicating that remediation of non-radioactive contaminants is complete, and that the only remaining activity is groundwater monitoring, which will extend until approximately 2011, depending upon results.