The U.S. Department of Energy has paid Maine Yankee $81.7 million in damages. After taxes, those funds will be used to benefit the ratepayers, according to Maine Yankee Spokesperson Eric Howes.

Wiscasset's facility, along with two other decommissioned Yankee Nuclear plants (Yankee Atomic Electric Company in Haddam, Conn, and Yankee Atomic Power Company in Rowe, Mass.) will share in the $159.70 million total.

Damages in the amount of $38.3 million have been awarded to Yankee Atomic and $39.7 million to Connecticut Yankee.

These damages were awarded to the three companies for the costs related to the government's failure to honor its contract obligations to begin removing spent nuclear fuel and waste from the three sites by January 1998.

In the next several months, the three companies plan to file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and detail their approach for the best way to use the proceeds to benefit the ratepayers, according to Howes.

The ongoing litigation between the three companies and the Department of Energy is being conducted in phases as an earlier U.S. Court of Claims decision ruled that utility companies, such as the three companies, cannot receive damage awards for costs that have not yet been incurred.

As a result, the three companies expect to continue to litigate with the DOE every several years claiming damages for costs incurred. The companies are currently seeking approximately $247 million in additional damages from the DOE in a second round of cases that were filed in 2007, which have yet to be decided.

The companies also anticipate that they will file a third round of damages claims by the end of 2013, according to Howes.

Charlotte Boynton can be reached at 207-844-4632 or cboynton@wiscassetnewspaper.com.