Millstone owner threatens shutdown if taxed (CT's last nuclear plant)

NewHavenRegister.com ^ | April 14, 2011 | Luther Turmelle

[raybbr]

HARTFORD — Dominion Energy officials said Wednesday they would spend “tens of millions of dollars” shutting down the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant the company owns in Waterford if Connecticut lawmakers impose a tax on electricity generators that would cost the utility $320 million a year.

Officials with the Virginia company acknowledged there are other possible alternatives besides closing the plant, including a court challenge of the generation tax if it becomes law.

But they insisted the company is not bluffing with its threat to close the plant and that a shutdown would cost the state $1.2 billion in both direct and indirect economic benefit.

“We believe that, by even discussing, the legislature is doing damage to the state’s reputation as a place to do business,” Daniel Weekly, Dominion’s vice president of government affairs said following a press conference at the Legislative Office Building that included lawmakers from southeastern Connecticut who are opposed to the plan.

A pair of Democratic lawmakers from Waterford, State Rep. Betsy Ritter and State Sen. Andrea Stillman, said the proposed legislation that would tax power generators, SB 1176, would deal Connecticut’s economy a major setback it can’t afford during tough economic times.

The bill “has the damaging effect of putting our state in one corner and one single corporate entity in the opposite corner, ahead of what promises to be a bruising, knockdown showdown between the two,” Stillman said.

[goat granny]

I admire any business that tells the government to go to hell....and moves....like Wal Mart did in Canada when they were forced to unionize...they packed up and left...then the dumb stupid government tried to pass a law to stop them from moving out....IDIOTS IN GOVERNMENT......ALL

[WVNan]

They done gone Galt. Good.

[kidd]

In 1990, CE was bought by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB).

In 2000, the nuclear part of the old CE was then bought by Westinghouse, which was owned by BNFL.

In 2006, Toshiba bought Westinghouse

= = =
What was once Combustion Engineering, is still located in Windsor. There are still 300+ engineers from the old Combustion Engineering still working for Westinghouse/Toshiba on nuclear in Windsor, with another 200+ younger engineers. There is still a lot of fond memories of being Combustion Engineering, but I think CE would have struggled to survive without being purchased.

[taildragger]

Thanks for the update. I have lost touch with many of my old contacts their, I thought it had dried up and left. I was un-aware that many changed hats, but were still doing design/engrg work of the same type in the same local....

[Ditto]

Connecticut had Combustion Engineering, that made the Millstone Vessels and well as the design. Now that has been sold 2 or 3 times over, the US lost one of its top Reactor Design Firms, and all the jobs but more important, how to make the Vessel.

CE got bought up by ABB back in the 90s as I recall, and then when ABB got in financial trouble, they sold the nuclear divisions of CE to Westinghouse. As far as I know, the nuke part of what used to be CE was still operating in Wndsor, CT.

The reactor vessels as I recall were made in the CE plant in Knoxville, TN. In fact, that plant also made the vessels for all the Westinghouse and B&W nuke plants as well. That plant was closed down a long time ago when nuke orders dried up. But the fuel, engineering, service and I&C parts of the business are still operating.

[taildragger]

Yes, it was the vessel manufacturing that we lost, IMHO that is a huge loss...