Connecticut Nuclear Site Open for Public Use

Connecticut Nuclear Site Open for Public Use



November 2007 
 Most of the land around the old 
Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant in Haddam Neck, Connecticut was 
released Monday by the federal government for "unrestricted public use." 
The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, announced approval of 
Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Company's request to release a majority of 
the Haddam Neck site for public access. 
In a statement, the NRC said, "Release of this land for unrestricted use 
poses no threat to public health and safety." 
Located in the hills of the Lower Connecticut River valley, about 30 
minutes drive from Hartford and New Haven, the site is in Haddam Neck, a 
part of the town of Haddam that is separated from the rest by the 
Connecticut River. 
It is the only town in the United States without a bridge to connect the 
separated parts. 
All major plant structures at Connecticut Yankee were demolished by August 
2006. Demolition of the few remaining ancillary buildings and structures 
was completed last fall. The NRC says dismantlement and decommissioning 
were completed in July. 
Connecticut Yankee’s nuclear operating license from the NRC will still 
apply to the site's dry cask storage facility, where the radioactive spent 
nuclear fuel from the plant's 28 years of operation is stored, plus a five 
acre parcel of land surrounding this facility. 
The federal agency says Connecticut Yankee remains responsible for the 
security and protection of this land and the dry cask storage facility, 
and is required to maintain $100 million in nuclear liability insurance 
coverage for the facility until the spent fuel has been removed. 
Haddam Neck began commercial operations January 1, 1968, and ceased 
production December 5, 1996, producing more than 110 billion 
kilowatt-hours of electricity during its 28 year operating history. 
Residual radioactive contamination on the land - approximately 210 acres - 
is below NRC regulatory requirements that allow a maximum radiation dose 
of 25 millirem per year. The agency said Monday, "NRC surveys verified 
that cleanup met the 25 millirem per year requirement." 
The average person in the United States receives about 300 millirem from 
background radiation each year, according to the NRC. 

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