East Bay nuclear site sold to decommissioning firm

A large property in East Bay, California, where a nuclear power plant once operated, has been sold. The site, known as the GEH Vallecitos Nuclear Center, was purchased by Northstar Group Services for $7 million. This company specializes in cleaning up and decommissioning nuclear facilities. The sale was made public by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, the previous owner, which stated that the property would be used for nuclear decontamination and environmental restoration. The details on how long the cleanup will take have not been provided. NorthStar is a leading firm in environmental remediation and nuclear decommissioning, with annual revenues exceeding $700 million. The purchase allows NorthStar to be the licensed owner of the nuclear research reactor complex. NorthStar's CEO, Scott State, emphasized the company’s expertise in safely cleaning and restoring former nuclear sites across the country. The deal follows a similar successful acquisition of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in 2018. Recently, NorthStar completed the removal of a boiling water reactor from the Vallecitos site and sent it for disposal at a facility in Texas. They plan to handle additional low-level radioactive waste from the site similarly.