Funding nuclear-power-plant decommissioning. Final report

The report is organized according to the steps that one might go through when analyzing funding of decommissioning costs. The first step in analyzing decommissioning costs might be to review the present regulatory framework within which decommissioning cost decisions must be made. A description is presented of the present NRC regulations that address the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant. A description is also presented of recent public utility commission activities concerning funding the costs of decommissioning. Possible future trends in NRC regulation are also discussed. The estimation of decommmissioning costs is analyzed. A description of each of the possible decommissoining options is presented. The options of decommissioning include immediate dismantlement, various types of safe storage, and entombment. A discussion is presented of cost estimations for each decommissioning option for nuclear units containing pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors. A description is included of the various methods of collecting funds for decommissioning as well as a discussion of their possible regulatory treatment. Material is presented which will provide the reader with background information that might assist state utility commissioners or their staffs in choosing or evaluating one of the financial mechanisms for covering decommissioning costs