Northeast Utilities To Reimburse Dominion For NRC Fine
WATERFORD, CT. - Dominion Nuclear Connecticut,
a unit of Dominion (NYSE: D) and the operator of Millstone Power Station, announced
Tuesday that it will not contest a $288,000 fine from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission for a violation that occurred while Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU)
operated the power station.
As part of an agreement associated with the sale of Millstone
in March 2001, Northeast Utilities has agreed to reimburse Dominion for the
full amount of the fine.
In November 2000, prior to the sale of Millstone, NU reported
to the NRC that two fuel rods in the station's Unit 1 spent fuel pool were missing.
A subsequent investigation by NU concluded that the fuel pins were cut into
segments in 1979 and shipped to a low-level radioactive waste facility with
other irradiated hardware sometime between March 1985 and December 1992. Dominion
purchased Millstone in March 2001.
The NRC accepted Northeast Utilities' findings after conducting
an independent review. The NRC has also concluded that Dominion has controls
in place to account for all the remaining used fuel at Millstone.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of
energy, with a production capability of more than 3 trillion British thermal
unit of energy per day. Dominion serves nearly 4 million retail natural gas
and electric customers in five states. For more information about Dominion,
visit the company's web site at www.dom.com.
