The Indian Point Energy Center, located in Buchanan, New York, on the Hudson River, ceased power generation with the final reactor shutdown in April 2021. While the site no longer poses the operational risks of an active power plant, it remains a regulated industrial facility. Its status has shifted to a site undergoing the complex process of decommissioning. Safety concerns now involve dismantling radioactive structures, managing spent nuclear fuel, and controlling environmental releases. Regulatory oversight focuses on the secure cleanup and restoration of the property.
The Decommissioning Phase
The physical dismantling of the Indian Point facility is carried out by Holtec International, a company specializing in nuclear decommissioning. The site license was transferred from Entergy to Holtec, initiating an accelerated cleanup schedule known as DECON (decontamination and dismantling). This approach avoids the deferred SAFSTOR (safe storage) method.
DECON involves the immediate removal of radioactive components and structures, which Holtec expects to complete much sooner than the 60 years allowed under federal regulations. This process is strictly governed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Work begins by removing non-radioactive equipment before proceeding to highly contaminated components like the reactor vessel and internals.
Safety concerns relate to industrial hazards, worker protection, and the secure transport of contaminated materials. Workers must minimize occupational radiation exposure, keeping doses within limits established by 10 CFR Part 20. All radioactive waste is shipped to licensed off-site disposal facilities. The ultimate goal is to reduce residual radioactivity to levels that permit the property’s release for unrestricted use, a standard the NRC must approve.
Safety of Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage
The most persistent source of radioactive material is the spent nuclear fuel, which remains indefinitely in a secure facility called the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI). Fuel assemblies were first cooled in water (wet storage) before transfer to dry storage.
Dry storage involves sealing the radioactive fuel inside massive, thick-walled containers called dry casks. These casks are steel cylinders encased in concrete, providing robust shielding. The Indian Point ISFSI utilizes the Holtec HI-STORM 100 system, featuring vertical, ventilated overpacks designed to withstand severe weather and earthquakes.
The dry cask method is a robust form of long-term storage, designed to protect the material for at least 100 years. The NRC maintains continuous oversight of the ISFSI, regularly inspecting the casks to evaluate aging management and structural integrity. The ISFSI must be secured against natural disasters and potential sabotage until a permanent national geological repository is established.
Environmental Release and Site Restoration
The controversy centers on the planned discharge of tritiated water—water containing the mildly radioactive isotope tritium—into the Hudson River. Holtec intends to release millions of gallons of water from the spent fuel pools as part of decommissioning.
Federal agencies, including the NRC and the Environmental Protection Agency, assert that the tritium concentration is well below established safety limits. Environmental advocates and local communities strongly oppose any avoidable radioactive addition to the Hudson River. New York State passed a law to prohibit such discharges, but a federal court overturned it, reaffirming federal authority over nuclear material regulation.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) retains authority over non-radiological and low-level radiological releases, ensuring adherence to state environmental standards. The final stage is site restoration, which requires comprehensive environmental surveys to demonstrate that the property meets rigorous standards for unrestricted public use.