Decommissioning of Fort St. Vrain nuclear generating station

In the U.S.A., a licensee can propose decontaminating a nuclear power plant using any of three methods: DECON, SAFSTOR, or ENTOMB. For the Fort St. Vrain reactor, DECON was chosen. According to this option, portions of the facility, containing radioactive contaminants, are dismantled and removed, or else decontaminated, soon after the cessation of power. The work to be done is of three kinds: decontamination and dismantlement of the pre-stressed concrete reactor vessel; decontamination or dismantling of actually or potentially contaminated balance of plant; and site cleanup and final site radiation survey. Each of these elements of the work is discussed