Some Oyster Creek Employees Are Already Leaving The Plant

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Some employees at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant will be leaving the plant before it closes for good later this year, a plant spokesperson said

Exelon, the plant's owner, recently notified the state that 84 workers have chosen to leave Oyster Creek over a seven-month period before the plant closes in October, said spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio.

"The majority of the remaining 400 employees will continue to work at the plant during decommissioning activities," she said. "Employees not involved with decommissioning will be offered positions elsewhere in the company. The 84 people who have elected to leave were employed in positions across the organization."

All of the departing employees chose to leave and some are retiring, D'Ambrosio said.

Exelon, the plant's owner, surprised both the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local officials when they announced earlier this year that the plant would close in October, more than a year ahead of schedule.

Bryan Hanson, Exelon president and chief nuclear officer said earlier this year that the company would offer Exelon jobs elsewhere to any employee that wanted to stay.

The plant was slated to cease operations by December 2019, as part of an agreement with the state.

The new schedule will give employees more time to find new jobs with Exelon and will help manage costs, Hanson has said.

"The decision will also help Exelon better manage resources as fuel and maintenance costs continue to rise amid historically low power prices, he said.

D'Ambrosio has said cost was a factor in deciding to close Oyster Creek early, but it was not the only factor.

"We had to consider what's best for our employees, our community and our company," she has said. "In the end, it just didn't make sense to refuel the reactor for a one-year operating cycle. Our focus now is on supporting our employees and helping them transition into other roles at Exelon wherever possible."

Oyster Creek is the oldest nuclear plant in the United States. It went online in December of 1969.

Photo: Courtesy of Patricia A. Miller