Entergy to shut Vermont Yankee for $100 mln refuel

* Refuel will cost Entergy about $100 million

* Entergy wants to run plant for another 20 years

* Vermont wants reactor shut in 2012

Oct 6 (Reuters) - Entergy (ETR.N) will shut its Vermont
Yankee nuclear power plant this weekend to begin a $100 million
refueling outage, a spokesman for the U.S. energy company said
on Thursday, as it awaits a judge's decision on whether it can
keep running the plant beyond next year.

Entergy will shut the 620-megawatt plant in Vermont on
Saturday, Oct. 8, for a planned refueling and maintenance
outage, the spokesman said.

The unit was operating at 80 percent of capacity early
Thursday, according to a report by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission.

Entergy wants to keep running the plant for another 20
years, while Vermont wants it shut in 2012.

Entergy decided to go forward with the refueling outage in
July despite the upcoming court case. A refueling usually lasts
about a month.

That was long before the September trial when the Honorable
J. Garvan Murtha of the U.S. District Court for the District of
Vermont in Brattleboro heard Entergy's lawsuit seeking to block
the state from shutting the plant next year when the reactor's
original federal operating license was to expire.

Entergy said it had to make a decision on the refueling
over the summer because it takes time to buy and manufacture
the fuel. Entergy has said the refueling outage would cost
about $100 million - $65 million for the fuel and $35 million
for the refueling work.

Entergy said in court papers it would cost millions to
return the fuel assemblies to the vender to be redesigned for
use in another reactor. Energy experts have said Entergy would
not be able to return the fuel once it starts burning it when
the plant exits the refueling outage.

No matter what the judge decides, this case is likely to be
tied up in court appeals for years, the parties have said.

The NRC granted Entergy a new license to run for another 20
years in March 2011.

The state wants the plant shut under an agreement Entergy
entered into in 2002 when the New Orleans-based company bought
the plant. Under that agreement, Entergy agreed to seek
permission from the Vermont Public Service Board before running
the plant beyond March 2012 when the original 40 year operating
license was to expire.

But the state Senate in early 2010 blocked the Public
Service Board from considering Entergy's request to continue
running the plant and after much - often heated - discussion
between Entergy and Vermont, Entergy sued in federal district
court to block the state from shutting the plant.
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PLANT BACKGROUND/TIMELINE
STATE: Vermont
COUNTY: Windham
TOWN: Vernon
OPERATOR: Entergy Nuclear
OWNER(S): Entergy Corp
CAPACITY: 620 MW
UNIT(S): General Electric Boiling Water Reactor
FUEL: Nuclear
DISPATCH: Baseload
COST: $183 million
TIMELINE:
1972 - Reactor enters commercial service
2002 - Entergy buys reactor for $180 million from

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power and enters a

10-year power purchase agreement to sell power

back to the former owners for about 4.5 cents

per kilowatt hour
Jan 2006 - Entergy files with NRC to renew the original

40-year operating license for an additional 20

years
Jan 2010 - Entergy identifies tritium leak
Feb 2010 - Vermont Senate votes 26-4 against authorizing

the Vermont Public Service Board to issue a

certificate of public good that would allow for

the license renewal. Vermont is the only state

in the nation with the authority to block a

license renewal. The state gained that

authority when Entergy bought the plant
Mar 2010 - Entergy stops tritium leak
Nov 2010 - Entergy mulls sale of Vermont Yankee
Mar 2011 - NRC approves of 20 year extension of operating

license
Mar 2011 - Entergy drops plan to sell plant
Apr 2011 - Entergy files complaint in federal district

court in Vermont to block the state from

forcing the plant to cease operation in March

2012 when the original operating license was to

expire
Jul 2011 - Entergy decides to spend about $100 million to

refuel the reactor in October ($65 million for

the fuel and $35 million for the refueling

work)
Sep 2011 - Trial in federal district court before the

Honorable J. Garvan Murtha
Oct 2011 - Entergy to shut reactor for refueling
Oct-Dec 2011 - Judge Murtha expected to decide on lawsuit
Mar 21, 2012 - Reactor to shut unless state approves of

extension or Entergy wins court case to keep

reactor operating or court appeals keep plant

alive
Mar 2032 - Renewed license expires
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York)