Nuclear power plant commits to meeting safety requirements

Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park,NJ,USA

LACEY - The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission received notice from Exelon Corp., owner of Oyster Creek Generating Station, that the company intends to follow new requirements before a decision is made about whether the nuclear power plant's license will be renewed.

The move means Oyster Creek is the first nuclear power plant in the nation to enter a period of extended operation without having had its license to operate renewed.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Tuesday that Exelon completed a safety evaluation report and a supplemental safety evaluation renewal for the Oyster Creek license renewal. The reports identify what the company needs to complete before the license can be renewed.

Oyster Creek is the oldest operating nuclear power plant in the country. Its operating license will expire in April, and Exelon is seeking to renew it for another 20 years.

"This notifies the NRC that Exelon has completed implementation of those commitments," Timothy S. Rausch, vice president of Oyster Creek Generating Station, stated in a March 6 letter to the NRC.

"Even though no decision has yet been rendered on the Oyster Creek license renewal application, Exelon has offered assurance that it is complying with all of the license renewal commitments, or requirements, that have been developed during the review process," Sheehan said.

Sheehan added that technically the NRC would not be obligated to follow the required commitments before license renewal. Exelon's statement to the NRC is a commitment that it will meet all requirements in advance of a decision.

Sheehan said the commitments involve the plant's aging management program, additional monitoring concerning its drywell liner, protocols for nuclear safety and appropriate steps to take in the event of an unplanned outage.

A coalition of six environmental groups opposed to the plant's license renewal filed an appeal for an additional hearing on whether the drywell liner around the plant's reactor meets safety standards.

That appeal awaits an affirmation session, which must be scheduled by the NRC's Atomic Safety Licensing Board.

"No affirmation sessions have been scheduled as of yet. We have no idea when the ASLB will do that," Sheehan said.

"It gives us a high degree of confidence that the company has agreed to do this," Sheehan said.