The announcement that NAC International's contract had been terminated was made January 16 by Chief Nuclear Officer Mike Meisner at a meeting of the Community Advisory Panel (CAP).

"Maine Yankee determined that NAC cannot perform its obligations under the existing contract arrangement and has therefore terminated the contract," Meisner said.

NAC has been managing the transfer of the spent fuel from the spent fuel pool to the dry cask storage facility, a project that was to have been completed in October 2002.

Ray Burke, Vice President of Decommissioning, reported that there are currently 11 fuel canisters at the storage facility and four canisters containing Greater than Class C material which were taken from the reactor vessel.

When the spent fuel move is complete there will be a total of 60 canisters stored with the fuel rods. There are still 49 canisters that need to be loaded and transported to dry storage facility.

According to Meisner, the company has offered NAC an interim service agreement under which they would continue to transfer the fuel to the dry cask storage facility.

"Today's action is not about safety, the NAC dry cask storage system, or the experienced subcontractors who are performing the fuel transfer," Meisner said. "This is strictly a business decision, and change that will hopefully benefit both Maine Yankee and NAC."

Meisner told the panel there are several options for completing the project. Two of those options are that Maine Yankee could finish the project with its own management team, or enter into a new contract with another firm.

"The project is currently in a safe, stand down position," Meisner said. "Eleven canisters of spent fuel are safely stored at the dry storage facility along with four canisters of Greater Than Class C Waste. The remaining fuel assemblies will stay in the spent fuel pool until we are ready to resume fuel transfer operations. As always, safety is our prime consideration," he said.

"At this time we do not expect this change to increase the cost of dry cask storage for Maine Yankee, and we are on track to complete the decommissioning project within the 1998 rate case cost estimate," Meisner said.

When NAC International was called to make a statement regarding the termination by Maine Yankee they asked that their attorney Donald Gaffney be called.

According to the website www.swlaw.com/attorneys/attorney_display.asp?aid=82, Gaffney's practice is concentrated in bankruptcy and workout law, and is located in Phoenix, Arizona.

Attempts by this newspaper to reach Gaffney were unsuccessful.

The end date of the decommissioning project remains the spring of 2005, according to Meisner. Decommissioning Status Burke presented a view of what has been accomplished within the last year.

In January 2002 the company was 58 percent complete. As of January 2003, the decommissioning is just over 73 percent complete, with approximately 74 percent of the decommissioning money spent.

In 2002 the cavity of the reactor vessel was drained and cleaned, he said. The vessel was removed and packaged for shipment. But it cannot be shipped to Barnwell, S.C. by barge until the water level in the Savanah River is high enough.

Several buildings on site were demolished during 2002, including the information center, the pump house, the reactor building, and the main valve house. The polar crane was taken down by explosives and is being cut into pieces for disposal. Waste Removal

About 118 million pounds of waste have been removed from the Mane Yankee Site, according to Burke, which is 50 percent of the total waste to be removed.

"There is a legitimate chance we will have the canisters loaded by the end of 2003," Burke said, referring to the removal of the spent fuel from the pool to the casks. NRC Report

United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission representative Randolph C. Ragland, Jr. reported the commission had determined Maine Yankee had adequate procedures, equipment, and appropriately trained personnel in place to safely package, transport, and store spent fuel at the dry storage facility.

Following a review of the company's security plan, Ragland said, "It was concluded Maine Yankee maintained adequate security and safeguards, programs including security for fuel-in transit and for spent fuel storage at the ISFSI (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation)." Other Reports

Other reports given to the panel included: License Termination Plan Update (LTP), by Michael Whitney the LTP project manager; and Environmental Impact Issues, by Thomas Williamson, Director of Nuclear Safety & Regulatory Affairs. New Members on Panel

Co-chairman Don Hudson welcomed three new members to the panel, including State Senator Chris Hall, State Representative Ken Honey, and the current Maine Yankee President, Ted Feigenbaum. Next Meeting

The next CAP meeting is scheduled for April 17. The agenda will include a presentation on the cleaning of the Forbay area.

Hudson suggested inviting the Maine Department of Energy (DOE) to the meeting for an updated report from their agency.

Maine Yankee spokesperson, Eric Howes, said he would contact the DOE and relay the CAP's request.