OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha Public Power District has voted to shutter the nation's smallest nuclear power plant in Fort Calhoun.
The power utility said in a written statement Thursday that the board decided it was in the best financial interest of the utility and its customers to close the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station by the end of this year.
The utility says the closure is expected to keep the general rate from increasing through 2021.
Once closed, a nuclear plant must undergo a decommissioning process to remove or decontaminate materials and equipment that have been exposed to radioactivity. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires decommissioning to be completed within 60 years of a plant's closure.
Cleaning up the site after its closure is estimated to cost more than $1 billion.
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