VERNON — State utility leaders are again looking at the now-cleared Vermont Yankee property as a potential home for a new nuclear installation, raising questions about jobs, taxes, and how Vermont will meet rising electricity demand while cutting carbon emissions.
Why Vernon is back in the conversation
At a recent Vernon Select Board meeting, Vermont Public Service Commissioner Kerrick Johnson said the former Vermont Yankee site is attractive not only for the town but for the region because of the high-voltage transmission infrastructure located adjacent to the property.
The switchyards and transformer equipment at the site are owned by VELCO, the consortium that manages Vermont’s transmission lines. That existing connection to the New England grid is a key reason state officials are considering the location for advanced nuclear technology.
Small modular reactors: distant possibility, local interest
Johnson described small modular reactors — much smaller than the 600-megawatt reactor that operated at Vermont Yankee until its closure in 2014 — as one option for replacing capacity and supporting decarbonization. He noted such reactors are under development in the United States, are in use in other countries, and a model was recently approved for use in Ontario.
“Seven or eight was his estimate.”
That time frame, Johnson said at the meeting, reflects how long it would likely take before a modular reactor could be operating at the site, underlining the long lead time and regulatory work ahead.
Local stakes: jobs and taxes
The shutdown of Vermont Yankee more than a decade ago cost the town hundreds of well-paying positions and removed a major taxpayer. Residents and officials in Vernon have followed cleanup and reuse discussions closely as the site’s owner, NorthStar Group Services, completes demolition and remediation.
NorthStar has signed a lease with a Texas-based company, PowerTransitions, that has been meeting with local residents to outline potential plans for battery storage and other uses. Johnson suggested a small modular reactor could complement battery storage on the site if both were pursued.
Policy drivers: costs and the climate
State leaders frame interest in advanced nuclear as motivated by two main pressures: affordability and climate change. Electricity demand in Vermont has risen in recent years and customer bills have climbed, according to Johnson. He said consumer costs are expected to increase further over coming years, a concern driving scrutiny of reliable, low-carbon supply options.
What’s already on the site
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Former reactor capacity | 600 megawatts |
| Owner | NorthStar Group Services |
| Demolition and cleanup cost | $602 million |
Questions that remain
- How the state’s right of first refusal on the property would be exercised and under what terms.
- The path for federal and state licensing and what environmental reviews would be required.
- Community support and local economic impacts, including potential tax revenue and employment.
Johnson emphasized the state holds procedural rights concerning the site, including a right of first refusal, but provided few details on what steps would be needed for Vermont to move forward with a nuclear project at Vernon.
Regional context
Interest in the Vernon site is part of a broader New England conversation about how to balance increasing electricity demand with efforts to move away from fossil fuels. New England utilities and regulators have been weighing a mix of generation and storage options to keep the grid reliable and lower carbon emissions.
For Vernon, the consideration of another reactor revives the complex legacy of Vermont Yankee: the economic loss from its closure, the long cleanup, and the uncertainty about how the land will be repurposed. Any future project would involve multiple stakeholders — the town, the state, the site owner, regional grid operators, and potential developers — each with different priorities.
As Vermont continues to plan for a cleaner and more affordable electricity future, the Vernon property stands as both a reminder of the past and a potential test case for how the state reconciles community interests, environmental goals and the realities of an aging regional grid.
Public meetings and further state consultations will determine whether the theoretical possibility Johnson described becomes a concrete proposal that moves through the regulatory process.
