Wild Conspiracy Theory That Surrounds Old Maine Yankee Power Plant

Many in Maine likely remember the days of the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant. Located on the Bailey peninsula in Wiscasset, the sprawling nuclear power plant sat on a 820 acre lot.

Maine Yankee took nearly four full years to build with construction beginning in 1968. It costs over $200 million to build (more than $2 billion today) with the project running into plenty of hiccups from the start.

Despite that, The nuclear power plant was given a 40-year license to operate. But due to unforeseen circumstances, it never made it close to fulfilling that agreement.

Maine Yankee's Costs Became Too Much Causing It To Close

During Maine Yankee's 24-year run, it had its shining moments. The nuclear plant produced enough electricity to match most of the entire state's demands. Even with Maine Yankee humming, electricity bills in Maine were rising.

Following the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown in Pennsylvania, many in Maine worried it could happen here. Voters were posed the question again and again on whether they wanted to see Maine Yankee permanently closed. Voters rejected the idea.

But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had their eye on Maine Yankee. After an extensive investigation into safety problems at the plant, it was deemed it would be too costly to fix the issues and run Maine Yankee properly.

Since Maine Yankee's Closing, Conspiracy Theories Have Run Wild

it was the closure of the power plant that has led to a string of different conspiracy theories. The initial theory is what exactly caused the closure of the nuclear facility.

Maine Yankee maintained that the expenses to repair and operate the facility outweighed potential profit. Many questioned how a 24-year-old facility could have so many safety issues.

The aftermath of Maine Yankee's closure has been even more bizarre. The company spent nearly eight years and $500 million decommissioning the plant, including bringing down the largest containment building with explosives.

Perhaps more troubling, Maine Yankee hasn't disposed of all nuclear waste. According to Maine Public, armed guards are on duty 24 hours a day to protect the waste without any clear and evident plan on how to dispose of it.

Conspiracy theories continue to run rampant that there is something the public isn't being told about what really happened at Maine Yankee.