Reactor Decommissioning History
Humboldt Bay 3
revised as noted below

Currently Active in RV Work
Recent Updates as of 8 June 2015

RVI
The Reactor Vessel Internals removal from the vessel is complete.

RV
Reactor Vessel segmentation is almost complete. The bottom bowl is yet to be removed from the reactor cavity.

GTCC
The single GTCC can is in the ISFSI.

Overview

Humboldt Bay Unit 3 was a unique 63MWe BWR in Eureka, California that was roughly 9-foot (2.7-meter) diameter x 31-foot (9.4-meter) tall. Commercial operations was achieved in 1963. Final reactor operation was July 1976 when it was shut down because of seismic concerns. Because of economic reasoning, it was decided in 1983 to decommission the unit. Units 1 and 2 were fossil fuel plants that were demolished while the Unit-3 Humboldt Bay decommissioning work was beginning.

Reactor Decommissioning Specifics

Internals Removal
The Reactor Vessel Internals (RVI) were much different and smaller than traditional commercial power reactors (Zion, Crystal River 3, SONGS-1, Rancho Seco, etc.). The RVI were mechanically cut in-situ using fully remote tooling. Siempelkamp Nuclear Services (SNS) did the work.

Reactor Vessel Removal
Mechanically cutting began in early 2014 by Siempelkamp Nuclear Services (SNS). The vessel will be segmented and packed into shipping containers as Class A waste.

Segmentation and Packaging Plan (S&P Plan)
The first Humboldt Bay decommissioning plan had the reactor vessel removed and shipped off site whole. PG&E (around 2010) decided to look at other options to avoid public concern of shipping on a waterway. The second approach developed by EH Wachs in November of 2010 was to incrementally lift and segment the RV (Westinghouse also provided a similar proposal). This EH Wachs plan required hands-on removal of the outer insulation in a very confined and high dose area. A third approach was proposed by Plant Decommissioning (with Wachs Services) on 1/25/2011 that eliminated many of the risks associated with the "lift and cut" plan. The Plant Decommissioning (PD) "windowing" plan did not require lifting of the vessel or removal of outer insulation (huge ALARA benefit). It also allows for the option to utilize faster hands-on work when dose rates allow it. In April 2011, PG&E developed the PD plan into the current S&P Plan for the Reactor Vessel.

GTCC Packaging
The Greater than Class C (GTCC) material from the reactor will remain on site with the fuel in the ISFSI. These are Holtec Hi-Star models. The on-site ISFSI has the Fuel stored in (5) dry casks along with (1) GTCC can underground (below grade).

Key People
Kerry Rod (PG&E D&D Project Manager).
Steve Larson (Window S&P plan and RV segmentation tool concepts).
Horst Kwech (Tool Design).
Al Solano (RV PM).

Contractors
PG&E is doing some of the work and staffing.
EnergySolutions.
Siempelkamp Nuclear Services, Inc. (SNS) doing RVI and RV segmentation.
Wachs Energy Services (steam condenser segmentation).

Comments
PG&E was planning on shipping the RPV off-site as one piece. However, this was abandoned for segmenting. Obviously there would be public concern of a nuclear vessel floating under the Golden Gate bridge. But also possibly because of the problems encountered when planning on shipping the SONGS-1 RV off-site.

Related Publications and Documents
"Dry Cask Storage Pacific Gas & Electric – Humboldt Bay Power Plant - 10217" from WM2010 Conference, March 7-11, 2010.

References
Wikipedia web page as of Feb 22, 2010.
NRC web page from Feb 2010 to Feb 2012.
Conversations with site people Jan 2010 through October 2014.

Click here for the "scheduled" Reactor D&D main page.
Click here for the past and current Reactor D&D main page.