Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station, former nuclear power plant in Rowe, Massachusettes
The Yankee Rowe facility is a decommissioned nuclear plant in western Massachusetts along the Deerfield River, which generated electricity for New England from 1961 to 1991. Today, the site shows fenced areas and the remains of a large industrial structure, while heavy steel and concrete dry casks secure spent fuel that still awaits a permanent federal storage site.
The plant began operations in 1961 and was one of the first large nuclear facilities in the US to use a pressurized water reactor. Concerns about the safety of its pressure vessel led to its early shutdown in 1992, followed by a decommissioning process that cost over 600 million dollars and took many years to complete.
The plant takes its name from the town of Rowe to avoid confusion with another plant in Vermont. During its operation, workers and local residents considered it a symbol of modern progress in a region where farming had long shaped daily life.
The site remains closed to the public, but the surrounding area can be reached by car and offers quiet rural roads through hilly terrain along the river. The fenced zone is under constant supervision, and walks in the surrounding countryside provide a sense of the region's rural calm.
The plant was the first in New England to use a pressurized water reactor and was named after the town to avoid confusion, even though it was far from other facilities. Construction cost around 39 million dollars, a considerable sum for the late 1950s that brought attention and workers to the region.
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