Holtec is dismantling the single-unit Pilgrim BWR on Cape Cod Bay, which shut down in May 2019 and was bought by Holtec that August. All fuel is in dry storage, but cleanup is held up by a fight over about 1 million gallons of treated wastewater, which Massachusetts again refused to allow into the bay in September 2026.
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Current state
| Status | Active dismantling |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Plymouth, Massachusetts |
| Site | Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station |
| Units | Unit 1 |
| Unit count | 1 |
| Reactor types | BWR |
| Owner / licensee | Holtec Pilgrim LLC (licensed operator: Holtec Decommissioning International) |
| Decommissioning contractor | Holtec Decommissioning International |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2019-05-31 |
| Decommissioning start | 2019-08 |
| Target completion | 2034 |
| Decommissioning trust fund | USD 465.9m (as of 2025-12-31) |
| Spent fuel | All spent fuel and GTCC waste in dry storage at the ISFSI-II pad since the end of 2021. |
| Notable issue | MassDEP denied, and in September 2026 upheld its denial of, Holtec's request to discharge up to 1.1 million gallons of treated wastewater into Cape Cod Bay; Holtec is evaporating it instead. |
Notes
target completion 2034 = Holtec's scheduled end of site decontamination per WBUR/NEPM reporting; the NRC page lists 'estimated date for closure' as 2063 (full license termination incl. ISFSI). Holtec has an SEC-disclosed obligation to keep at least $193.3m (2019 $) in the Pilgrim NDT at partial site release. HDI reports $801m spent 2019-2025 (as-spent).
Timeline
- 2019-05-31 — Entergy permanently shut down Pilgrim after more than 46 years of operation. (source)
- 2019-08 — Holtec International purchased the station for accelerated decommissioning. (source)
- 2020-07 — HDI completed Phase I of its spent fuel transfer campaign, loading 11 casks. (source)
- 2021-12 — All Pilgrim spent fuel and GTCC waste was stored on the new ISFSI-II pad. (source)
- 2026-09-15 — MassDEP dismissed Holtec's appeal and upheld its denial of a Cape Cod Bay wastewater discharge. (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
- Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station — U.S. NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Pilgrim Decommissioning — Holtec International (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- State will not allow disposal of radioactive water in Cape Cod Bay — WBUR, checked 2026-10-11
- Pilgrim nuclear plant loses appeal on releasing radioactive water — Vermont Public / NEPM, checked 2026-10-11
- Holtec Nuclear Corp Form S-1/A (2026) — U.S. SEC / Holtec (primary), 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
- Locations of Power Reactor Sites Undergoing Decommissioning — U.S. NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11