OLDEST U.S. NUCLEAR PLANT OUT FOR GOOD

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 27, 1992                   TAG: 9202270042
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOLTON, MASS.                                LENGTH: Short
OLDEST U.S. NUCLEAR PLANT OUT FOR GOOD
The nation's oldest commercial nuclear power plant, a target of safety protests because of its age, is being shut for good and will be dismantled, its owner said Wednesday.
The board of directors of Yankee Atomic Electric Co. voted unanimously against restarting the 185-megawatt Yankee Rowe plant, which has been idled since October.
The directors insisted that economic decisions, not safety questions, prompted the decision.
"You can honestly say that we're a victim of this recession," said plant spokesman William McGee.
Officials cited a dwindling demand for electricity as well as the expense of addressing concerns raised by Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and others about the condition of the 32-year-old reactor vessel, the massive steel container housing the reactor.
At issue was whether the 33-foot-high, 8-inch-thick steel vessel had grown brittle and become more likely to fail because it had been continually bombarded with neutron radiation.
The utility voluntarily shut the plant in October for additional inspection and testing. McGee said plant officials had expected to spend $23 million on the effort in the next six months.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB