“We would like to enter contract negotiations with Energy-Solutions, who would bring to us decommissioning expertise that does not exist at the plant today,” said Mary Fisher, OPPD’s senior director of decommissioning at Fort Calhoun. “This is the best opportunity to move forward and maintain our budget and schedule for decommissioning.”

Accordingly, the OPPD board of directors approved a resolution Thursday that gives the green light for top OPPD executive Tim Burke to begin negotiating a contract with EnergySolutions. Details on the contract’s estimated value are not yet available.

What is known is that the contract’s value “is expected to be less than the current (agreement)” with Exelon, the board resolution stated.

Tim Gay, the OPPD board’s vice chairman and head of its nuclear oversight committee, said the contract agreement for decommissioning is not a surprise.

“This has been budgeted; we knew it would come to this point,” Gay said. “EnergySolutions has the expertise to help our employees, and we’re trying to do this with as many of our employees as possible.”