Oyster Creek, the oldest US BWR when it closed in September 2018, is being dismantled by Holtec, which took ownership in July 2019. The NRC approved Holtec's license termination plan in mid-2026, with partial site release (all but the dry-cask pad) scheduled for 2029; Holtec wants to build SMR-300 reactors on the site.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Forked River (Lacey Township), New Jersey |
| Site | Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station |
| Units | Unit 1 |
| Unit count | 1 |
| Reactor types | BWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 619 |
| Owner / licensee | Oyster Creek Environmental Protection LLC (Holtec; licensed operator: Holtec Decommissioning International) |
| Decommissioning contractor | Holtec Decommissioning International |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2018-09-17 |
| Decommissioning start | 2019-07 |
| Target completion | 2035 |
| Decommissioning trust fund | USD 335.7m (as of 2025-12-31) |
| Spent fuel | All spent fuel moved to the on-site ISFSI by end of May 2021. |
| Notable issue | Holtec plans to reuse the site for SMR-300 small modular reactors once released. |
Notes
Partial site release (except ISFSI) scheduled 2029; license termination by end-2035 per NRC. Capacity 619 MWe per WNA. HDI reports $777m spent 2019-2025 (as-spent) and $237m estimated for 2026.
Timeline
- 2018-09-17 — Exelon permanently shut down Oyster Creek. (source)
- 2019-07-01 — NRC-approved license transfer to Holtec (OCEP/HDI) took effect. (source)
- 2021-05 — All spent fuel was moved to dry storage in the ISFSI. (source)
- 2026-06-10 — NRC issued an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact on Holtec's license termination plan. (source)
- 2026-07-30 — Holtec said the NRC had approved its Oyster Creek license termination plan. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station — U.S. NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Oyster Creek Decommissioning — Holtec International (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Oyster Creek LTP environmental assessment and FONSI — Federal Register / NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- NRC approves Holtec's license termination plan for Oyster Creek — ExchangeMonitor, checked 2026-10-11
- Oyster Creek, Pilgrim, Indian Point Units 1-3, Palisades and Big Rock Point - Annual decommissioning funding status report (March 2026) — Holtec Decommissioning International / U.S. NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11
- Locations of Power Reactor Sites Undergoing Decommissioning — U.S. NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11