Oyster Creek Housing Afghan Refugees Rumor Untrue: Officials

LACEY, NJ — Claims circulating on social media that the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station was housing Afghan refugees is not true, officials said Friday.

A spokesperson for Holtec International, which is decommissioning the shuttered Oyster Creek power plant, refuted the rumor involving the site in a letter addressed to Lacey Township Business Administrator Veronica Laureigh.

“As we discussed, there is NO truth to this rumor and there are NO plans to house Afghan refugees at the Oyster Creek decommissioning site,” said Joe Delmar, Senior Director for Government Affairs and Communications for the plant.

In August, the decommissioning project entered "Phase 4" which involves removing the remaining radioactive waste from the site. The project remains ahead of schedule and is on track to be complete by late 2025.

The rumor surfaced as the first group of Afghan refugees arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst earlier this week.

Read more: First Afghan Refugees Arrive At Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

The joint base is one of four military bases in the United States that are providing temporary shelter to Afghans as part of Operation Allies Refuge, according to the Defense Department.

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