Kewaunee nuclear plant closes permanently
Dominion shuts down Kewaunee nuclear plant permanently after nearly 40 years of service
KEWAUNEE, Wis. (AP) -- A Wisconsin nuclear power plant has shut down after nearly 40 years of generating electricity.
Dominion Resources Inc. on Tuesday shut down its 556-megawatt Kewaunee Power Station east of Green Bay.
Dominion was unable to find a buyer for the plant, which employs about 650 people. The Richmond, Va.-based energy provider announced plans last fall to close the plant and decommission it.
The reactor is closing because utilities that had purchased its electricity decided to stop buying it, citing the low price of natural gas.
David Heacock, president of Dominion Nuclear, says the decision to close the plant "was based purely on economics."
Kewaunee went into service on June 16, 1974. Over its life, the plant generated about 148 million megawatt-hours of electricity.
