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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that applications for a 20-year renewal of the operating licenses for Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units 1 and 2, and Hope Creek Generating Station are available for public review. Both plants are located in Hancock Bridge, N.J., about 18 miles south of Wilmington, Del. The current operating licenses for Salem Nuclear Generating Station Units 1 and 2 expire on Aug. 13, 2016 and April 18, 2020; and the Hope Creek license expires on April 11, 2026. The licensee, PSEG Nuclear LLC, submitted the renewal applications on August 18 for Salem and Hope Creek, respectively. The applications are available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The NRC staff is currently conducting an initial review of the applications to determine whether they contain enough information for the required formal review. If the applications have sufficient information, the NRC will formally "docket," or file, the applications and will announce an opportunity to request a public hearing. For further information, contact Donnie Ashley, project manager, in the Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O11-F1, Washington, D.C. 20555; telephone (301) 415-3191 or email at Donnie.Ashley@nrc.gov.

Utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric announced Nov. 24 that it has applied to renew its operating license for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. PG&E chief nuclear officer John Conway did not reveal the price tag on the renewal process, but he said the renewal would cost millions of dollars, in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission regulations, which he did not detail. The current license is set to expire in 2024 and 2025 for Units One and Two of the plant, respectively. The new license, should it be approved, would extend 20 years from those dates. In the next step in the application process, according to PG&E Site Vice President Jim Becker, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review PG&E's application and make a decision on the further need for hearings. "It's fair to say this will be a multiyear process," Becker said at a media conference.

Utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric announced Nov. 24 that it has applied to renew its operating license for the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. PG&E chief nuclear officer John Conway did not reveal the price tag on the renewal process, but he said the renewal would cost millions of dollars, in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission regulations, which he did not detail. The current license is set to expire in 2024 and 2025 for Units One and Two of the plant, respectively. The new license, should it be approved, would extend 20 years from those dates. In the next step in the application process, according to PG&E Site Vice President Jim Becker, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review PG&E's application and make a decision on the further need for hearings. "It's fair to say this will be a multiyear process," Becker said at a media conference.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) for the proposed renewal of the operating licenses for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2, and concluded that there are no open items that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of operation. The report documents the results of the NRC staff's review of the license renewal application and site audits of the plant's aging management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation. It represents the culmination of NRC's comprehensive review of the application and inspection of the plant to verify license renewal implementation is consistent with the application. Overall, the results show that the applicant has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in the appropriate safety systems, structures and components of the plant and that their functions will be maintained during the period of extended operation. Issuing the final SER is a significant milestone in the license renewal review process. This process proceeds along two tracks - one for review of safety issues and another for environmental issues. The SER marks the completion of the NRC staff's safety review that is published and subsequently reviewed and publicly discussed by the agency's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). The staff concluded its environmental review in March of this year when it issued the final supplemental environmental impact statement.

For 10 years now, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been busily extending the operating license of nuclear power plants ­ designed to run for 40 years ­ another 20 years. Imagine driving down a highway in a 60-year-old car. But safety concerns are minimized by the NRC, a lapdog of the nuclear industry. Just as the NRC has never denied a construction or operating license for a nuclear plant anywhere, anytime in the U.S., it has rubber-stamped every application for a 20-year extension for now 52 nuclear plants. That's half the 104 nuclear plants in the U.S. and, as the 40-year licenses of the rest get set to expire, watch the NRC extend their licenses to run for another 20 years, too. And it may end up to be more than 20 years. The New York Times in a report April 2 on the NRC extending the operating license to 60 years of the oldest nuclear plant in the U.S., Oyster Creek in New Jersey, noted that "some commission officials have even discussed the possibility of a second round of extensions that would allow reactors to operate for up to 80 years." Imagine driving down a highway in an 80-year-old car.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering an application dated January 30, 2008, from Duke Power Company LLC d/b/a Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, (Duke) for the renewal of its Special Nuclear Material (SNM) License SNM-2503, under the provisions of 10 CFR part 72, for the receipt, possession, storage and transfer of spent fuel and other radioactive materials associated with spent fuel storage at the Oconee Nuclear Station (ONS) Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), located at the ONS site in Oconee County, South Carolina. If granted, the renewed license will authorize Duke to continue to store spent fuel in a dry cask storage system at the ISFSI. Pursuant to the provisions of 10 CFR 72.42, the renewal term of the license for an ISFSI is limited to 20 years. Duke, however, has also submitted an exemption request with its license renewal application, pursuant to 10 CFR 72.7, seeking a license renewal term of 40 years. In accordance with 10 CFR 72.34, Duke's renewal application included an Environmental Report (which is attached as Enclosure 3, Appendix E of Duke's application).

Firstenergy Nuclear Operating Company; Notice of Availability of the Final Supplement 36 to the Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants, Regarding the License Renewal of Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2 Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the Commission or NRC) has published a final plant-specific supplement to the ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants (GEIS),'' NUREG-1437, regarding the renewal of operating licenses DPR-66 and NPF-73 for an additional 20 years of operation for the Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2, which are located in Shippingport, PA about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. Possible alternatives to the proposed action (license renewal) include no action and reasonable alternative energy sources.

South and central New Jersey are Ground Zero, so to speak, concerning the future of aging U.S. nuclear electricity plants. The nation's oldest operating commercial plant, Oyster Creek in Lacy Township, awaits its fate, with its initial 40-year license set to expire this year. Meanwhile, PSEG Nuclear took official steps this month to extend the licenses of its three Salem County plants. And, Saturday was the 30th anniversary of the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. While it resulted in the meltdown of a reactor core, the containment walls worked. The U.S. nuclear industry still can point to a safety record that traces no deaths directly to a plant release. At Salem, the original license for Unit 1 expires in 2016, the Unit 2 license expires in 2020, and Hope Creek is licensed until 2026. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires considerable lead time for relicensing, and there should be sufficient time to answer questions from citizens, experts and the NRC itself.

"The Cooper Nuclear Station in Southeast Nebraska has passed the halfway point in renewing its operating license with the federal government. The Nebraska Public Power District is seeking a 20-year extension to its current license, which is set to expire in January 2014. The plant received its initial license and began operating in 1974. The re-licensing is occurring at a time when the federal government is expressing more interest in developing power from nuclear resources. Officials with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will seek public comments April 7 on a draft environmental impact statement concerning the plant."

A team of independent experts who advise the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on safety are recommending that Indian Point be given 20 more years to operate. Advertisement "The application for renewal of the operating licenses for (Indian Point 2) and (Indian Point 3) should be approved," the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards wrote to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a Sept. 23 letter, obtained by The Journal News. The committee advises the NRC as part of the license extension review. Without extensions, IP2 and IP3 would have to shut down permanently on Sept. 28, 2013, and Dec. 12, 2015, respectively, if their licenses are not renewed by the NRC. Indian Point 1 is no longer a working reactor.

A team of independent experts who advise the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on safety are recommending that Indian Point be given 20 more years to operate. Advertisement "The application for renewal of the operating licenses for (Indian Point 2) and (Indian Point 3) should be approved," the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards wrote to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a Sept. 23 letter, obtained by The Journal News. The committee advises the NRC as part of the license extension review. Without extensions, IP2 and IP3 would have to shut down permanently on Sept. 28, 2013, and Dec. 12, 2015, respectively, if their licenses are not renewed by the NRC. Indian Point 1 is no longer a working reactor.

In order to participate as a party in the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository licensing proceeding, an entity or person must be admitted to the proceeding by following the procedures of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's rules, at 10 CFR §2.309, which require a request for hearing, a petition to intervene, a demonstration of standing, and at least one admitted contention. At the close of the filing period, on December 22, 2008, a total of 318 contentions had been filed by 12 entities, including 229 from the State of Nevada, 24 from California, and 15 from Clark County. A contention is an issue of law or fact (in this case, possible scientific fact) that alleges the license application or Yucca Mountain Environmental Impact Statement (as adopted by NRC) does not meet statutory or regulatory requirements, and in the case of the license application "nonconformance would be contrary to providing reasonable assurance of adequate protection of the public health and safety." The NRC rule prescribes the format of contentions as seen below:

In order to participate as a party in the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository licensing proceeding, an entity or person must be admitted to the proceeding by following the procedures of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's rules, at 10 CFR §2.309, which require a request for hearing, a petition to intervene, a demonstration of standing, and at least one admitted contention. At the close of the filing period, on December 22, 2008, a total of 318 contentions had been filed by 12 entities, including 229 from the State of Nevada, 24 from California, and 15 from Clark County. A contention is an issue of law or fact (in this case, possible scientific fact) that alleges the license application or Yucca Mountain Environmental Impact Statement (as adopted by NRC) does not meet statutory or regulatory requirements, and in the case of the license application "nonconformance would be contrary to providing reasonable assurance of adequate protection of the public health and safety." The NRC rule prescribes the format of contentions as seen below:

The nuclear accident in Japan and resulting public concern about earthquake safety at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant have led PG&E to ask federal regulators to delay final implementation of the license renewal process for the plant. In a letter dated Sunday to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, PG&E calls its request "prudent" in light of the damage the Japanese nuclear plant sustained a month ago after the earthquake and tsunami there. SIMILAR STORIES: A bad reaction to Diablo license debate State's authority over Diablo Canyon plant is limited SLO County supervisors raise Diablo concerns Diablo safety to be discussed Viewpoint: Before Diablo relicensing, concerns must be answered "PG&E therefore requests that the commission delay the final processing of the LRA (license renewal application) such that the renewed operating licenses, if approved, would not be issued until after PG&E has completed the 3-D seismic studies and submitted a report to the NRC addressing the results of those studies," wrote John Conway, PG&E's chief nuclear officer.

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for Seabrook Station is available for public review. Seabrook Station is a pressurized-water nuclear reactor, located 13 miles south of Portsmouth, N.H., and the plant's current operating license expires on March 15, 2030. The licensee, NextEra Energy Seabrook, submitted the renewal application June 1. The application is available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/seabrook.html. The NRC staff is currently conducting an initial review of the application to determine whether it contains enough information for the required formal review. If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally "docket," or file, the application and will announce an opportunity to request a public hearing. For further information, contact Rick Plasse or Jeremy Susco at the Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O11-F1, Washington, D.C. 20555; telephone (301) 415-1427 for Rick Plasse or (301) 415-2927 for Jeremy Susco."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating license for the Crystal River Nuclear Generating Plant Unit 3 is available for public review. NRC received an application for renewal of the operating license from Crystal River's operator, Progress Energy Florida, Inc., Dec. 18. The Crystal River Nuclear Generating Plant is a pressurized-boiling water reactor located in Crystal River, Fla. The current operating license will expire on Dec. 3, 2016. The application will be available electronically through the Agencywide Document Access and Management System through the NRC Web page at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. The accession number is ML090080053. A copy is also available at the Coastal Region Library, 8619 W. Crystal St., Crystal River, Fla. In addition, the application will be available at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. The NRC staff is currently conducting its initial review of the application to determine whether it contains enough information required for the formal safety and environmental reviews. If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally "docket," or file it, and will announce an opportunity for the public to request an adjudicatory hearing on the renewal request.

FirstEnergy Corp.'s application for renewal of licenses to continue operating the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station is on hold until the company resolves a safety issue, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reported Thursday. During inspections in June and July, the NRC found two flooded manholes containing medium-voltage cables that provide electricity to reactor pumps. The NRC determined that the water could potentially degrade the cables and cause them to fail. FirstEnergy last year applied for 20-year extensions of licenses to operate the Unit 1 and Unit 2 reactors at Shippingport. The Unit 1 license expires in 2016 and the one for Unit 2 expires in 2027. The inspections were part of the license renewal process.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced the opportunity to request a hearing on an application to renew the operating license for the Cooper Nuclear Station for an additional 20 years. Cooper is a boiling water reactor located 23 miles south of Nebraska City, Neb. The plant owner, Nebraska Public Power District, submitted the renewal application Sept. 30. The current operating license for Cooper expires Jan. 18, 2014. The NRC staff has determined that the application contains sufficient information for the agency to formally "docket," or file, the application and begin its safety and environmental reviews. Docketing the application does not preclude requesting additional information as the reviews proceed, nor does it indicate whether the Commission will renew the license. A notice of opportunity to request a hearing has been published in the Federal Register, and the deadline for requesting a hearing is March 2, 2009. Petitions may be filed by anyone whose interest may be affected by the license renewal and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding. A request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene must be filed through the NRC's E-Filing system. Anyone wishing to file should contact the Office of the Secretary by e-mail at HEARINGDOCKET@nrc.gov at least five days before the filing deadline to request a digital ID certificate and allow for the creation of an electronic docket. More information on the hearing process is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing.html.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is seeking public comments on its preliminary conclusion that there are no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the operating license for the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 1 (TMI-1) in Middletown. As part of TMI-1's license renewal application, dated Jan. 8, AmerGen Energy Company, LLC, submitted an environmental report. The NRC staff reviewed the report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also considered comments made during the environmental scoping process, including comments offered at public meetings held May 1, 2007. Based on its review, the NRC staff has preliminarily determined that the environmental impacts of the license renewal for TMI-1 are not so great that they preclude license renewal. The draft supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) is open for public comment until March 4, 2009, and will be the subject of two public meetings to be held on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering a request from Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to assume part of the NRC's regulatory authority over certain nuclear materials in the commonwealth. If the request is accepted, Virginia will become the 36th state to sign such an agreement with the NRC. Under the proposed agreement, the NRC would transfer to Virginia the responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection and enforcement activities for: (1) radioactive materials produced as byproducts from the production or utilization of special nuclear material (SNM--enriched uranium or plutonium); (2) naturally occurring or accelerator-produced byproduct material (NARM); (3) source material (uranium and thorium); and (4) SNM in quantities not sufficient to support a nuclear chain reaction. If the proposed agreement is approved, it is estimated that there will be 420 total licenses in the Commonwealth of Virginia. NRC would transfer 386 licenses to the commonwealth's jurisdiction. In addition, the commonwealth would retain regulatory authority for approximately 216 NARM licenses. Approximately 180 of these NARM licenses are dually regulated by Virginia and the NRC.

Office of New Reactors; Interim Staff Guidance on the Necessary Content of Plant-Specific Technical Specifications for a Combined License AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). ACTION: Solicitation of public comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The NRC is soliciting public comment on its proposed Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) DC/COL-ISG-08 (ADAMS Accession No. ML082520707). The purpose of this ISG is to change the NRC staff position on the necessary content of plant-specific technical specifications (PTS) when a combined license (COL) is issued. This ISG clarifies the staff guidance contained in Regulatory Guide (RG) 1.206, ``Combined License Applications for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Section C.III.4.3, ``Combined License Information Items That Cannot Be Resolved Before the Issuance of a License,'' and replaces the related guidance in NUREG-0080, ``Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants,'' Chapter 16.0,

Cogema Mining, Inc.; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation by the Commission dated December 29, 1972, published in the Federal Register, 37 FR 28,710 (1972), and the Commission's regulations, see 10 CFR 2.104, 2.300, 2.303, 2.309, 2.311, 2.318, and 2.321, notice is hereby given that an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (Board) is being established to preside over the following proceeding: Cogema Mining, Inc. Irigaray and Christensen Ranch Facilities (License Renewal for Source Materials License SUA-1341) This Board is being established in response to requests for hearing that were filed pursuant to a Notice of Request to Renew Source Materials License SUA-1341, COGEMA Mining, Inc., Irigaray and Christensen Ranch Facilities, Johnson and Campbell Counties, WY, and Opportunity to Request a Hearing dated February 9, 2009 (74 FR 6436). Requests for hearing dated April 10, 2009 were filed by: (1) The Powder River Basin Resource Council; and (2) the Oglala Delegation of the Great Sioux Nation Treaty Council (Oglala Delegation), which also seeks ``leave to make filings by e-mail due to problems with the NRC's EIE document system encountered by [petitioner's counsel] due to computer system and software incompatibilities'' (Pet. for Hearing at 125)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday renewed the operating licenses for Southern Co's Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia for an additional 20 years. The new licenses for Units 1 and 2 will expire on Jan. 16, 2047, and Feb. 9, 2049. Southern submitted the application for the new licenses in June 2007. The Vogtle units represent the 53rd and 54th reactor licenses renewed by the NRC. Twelve other applications are under review.