New England grid faces minimal impact from Vermont Yankee shutdown due to power surplus

Limited impact seen from Vermont Yankee shutdown

MONTPELIER, Vt. — It looks like the lights won’t go out in New England if the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant shuts down in 2012.

That’s the word from a range of experts following the Vermont Senate’s vote on Wednesday to deny the plant a 20-year license extension.

The 650-megawatt reactor in Vermont’s southeast corner provides about 2 percent of New England’s electricity demand. The region currently has a power-generation surplus of 4,000-5,000 megawatts, meaning it could lose up to 16 percent of its generation and still not face a power deficit.

Power authorities say however that new transmission lines may be needed to avoid overload problems.