Operations & Maintenance

NRC to recommend Japan Task Force Companies mentioned: Nuclear Regulatory Commission, TVA, South Texas Project, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Sumner site and IAEA

Nuclear Energy Policy and Commission Update 28 September – 5 October 2011

NRC to recommend Japan Task Force

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet Tuesday, Oct. 11, to discuss the staff’s prioritization proposal for the recommendations of the NRC’s Japan Near-Term Task Force. The Task Force examined issues raised by the Fukushima nuclear accident in March. The commission meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Conference Room at NRC Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. Discussion will include external stakeholders’ input on prioritization and a presentation by NRC staff. The meeting will be open to public observation and will be webcast.

NRC extends construction permit for Bellefonte Unit 1

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the construction permit for Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) unfinished Unit 1 reactor at the Bellefonte site near Scottsboro, Ala. TVA submitted a permit extension request Oct. 8, 2010, and supplemented the request on April 25 and Sept. 1.

The permit, which would have expired on Oct. 1, is now valid until Oct. 1, 2020. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the construction permit for Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) unfinished Unit 1 reactor at the Bellefonte site near Scottsboro, Ala. TVA submitted a permit extension request Oct. 8, 2010, and supplemented the request on April 25 and Sept. 1. The permit, which would have expired on Oct. 1, is now valid until Oct. 1, 2020.

Nuclear and radiation safety experts review Slovenia's regulatory system

An international team of senior nuclear safety experts have concluded a 10-day mission to review the regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety in Slovenia. The team identified good practices and gave advice on areas for future improvements. The IAEA has conveyed the team's main conclusions to the Government of Slovenia and a final report will be submitted by the end of 2011.

At the request of the Slovenian Government, the IAEA assembled a team of 10 senior regulatory experts from nine nations to conduct the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission involving the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA). The mission is a peer review based on the IAEA Safety Standards.

ASLB to hold evidentiary hearing over South Texas Project COL

An Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) panel will conduct an evidentiary hearing Oct. 31 in Rockville, Md., in the South Texas Project Combined License (COL) proceeding. The ASLB is the independent body within the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that presides over proceedings involving the licensing of civilian nuclear facilities, such as nuclear power plants. This evidentiary hearing will consider a contention (or challenge) originally scheduled to be heard in August but deferred due to the unavoidable absence of an expert witness.

The Board has also asked all the parties’ attorneys to be prepared for oral argument on a new proposed contention related to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident in Japan, although the Board is not certain if such oral argument will be necessary. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT in the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Hearing Facility, Room T-3B45 in the NRC’s Two White Flint North Building, 11545 Rockville Pike in Rockville.

NRC to hold mandatory hearing on Sumner site COLs

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a mandatory hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 12, and Thursday, Oct. 13, on an application for Combined Licenses (COL) to build and operate two new reactors at the V.C. Summer site near Jenkinsville, S.C. The Summer application is the second to reach this final step in the Part 52 new reactor licensing process. “At this hearing, my colleagues and I will be carefully evaluating whether the NRC staff’s safety and environmental reviews have been adequate to support the necessary regulatory findings,” said NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko. “The review of a new reactor license is a complex undertaking and a critical part of our regulatory and safety mission.”

The Commission’s hearing will include testimony and exhibits from the applicant, South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), and NRC staff on the question of whether the staff’s review has been adequate to support the findings necessary to issue a COL. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12 in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. The Commission expects to discuss the staff’s Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) on the first day, with discussion of the staff’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Oct. 13.