NRC says six utilities have fund shortfalls -WSJ

CHICAGO, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has notified six utility companies that they have until the end of this year to explain how they will fix shortfalls in nuclear decommissioning funds, the Wall Street Journal newspaper said in its Saturday edition.

The shortfalls ranged from $12 million to $204 million for each of the 26 reactors at 18 sites on the list, or one quarter of the country's reactors. The six utilities were Exelon Corp (EXC.N), Entergy Corp (ETR.N), Constellation Energy Group Inc (CEG.N), FPL Group (FPL.N), First Energy Service Co LTD (9514.T) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVC.N).

The number in arrears is more than normal and needs to be "resolved in the near future", Scott Burnell, an NRC spokesman, told the newspaper.

An FPL spokesman told the newspaper his company is committed to meeting its obligation but blamed market conditions for the under-funding for its Point Beach and Duane Arnold units in Twin Creeks, Wisconsin, and near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Decommissioning funds are required by the NRC and would be used to cover the anticipated costs of taking plants out of service and eventually razing them. (Reporting by Bob Burgdorfer; editing by Mohammad Zargham)