Exelon Generation permanently shut its single-unit 670-MW Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Forked River, New Jersey, at noon EDT (1600 GMT) Monday, the company said in a statement. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The boiling water reactor had been the country’s oldest operating nuclear power unit, having received its operating license in April 1969 and beginning commercial operation in December 1969. Under an agreement with the state of New Jersey, Exelon agreed to permanently shut Oyster Creek by the end of 2019, in exchange for not being required to install expensive cooling towers at the plant to comply with state environmental regulations. The company announced earlier this year that it would shut the unit in September. “Over the next few weeks, workers will remove the reactor’s fuel supply and store it safely in the station’s used fuel pool. […]