Press Release-04-043, NRC Renew License for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2, for an Additional 20 Years

Press Release-04-043: NRC Renew License for H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2, for an Additional 20 Years

ML041100672
Person / Time
Site:	Robinson
Issue date:	04/19/2004
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-04-043
Download: ML041100672 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA No.04-043 April 19, 2004 NRC RENEWS LICENSE FOR H.B. ROBINSON STEAM ELECTRIC PLANT, UNIT 2, FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 YEARS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating license of Unit 2 of the nuclear power facility at the H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, located in Darlington County, S.C., for an additional 20 years. The plant is operated by Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L).

CP&L submitted its license renewal application to the NRC on June 14, 2002. The renewal extends the license for H.B. Robinson Unit 2 from July 31, 2010, to July 31, 2030.

The NRCs environmental review is described in a site-specific supplement to the NRCs Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants," (NUREG-1437, Supplement 13). In the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, issued in December 2003, the staff concluded that there were no impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons. Two public meetings to discuss the environmental review were held near the plant on September 25, 2002, and June 25, 2003.

In its Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2, issued in January 2004, the NRC staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the licensee had demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging. In addition, the NRC conducted inspections of the plants to verify information submitted by the licensee. The Safety Evaluation Report is available on the NRC Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/robinson.html .

On March 18, 2004, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards -- an independent body of technical experts which advises the Commission -- issued its recommendation that the operating license for H.B. Robinson, Unit 2, be renewed. That recommendation is contained in "Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal Application for the H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, Unit 2." A copy of this document is available on the NRC Web site at this address:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/letters/2004/5102069.pdf .

The H.B. Robinson license renewal brings the total number of renewals to 24 units. A complete listing of completed renewal applications, as well as those currently under review, can be found on the NRCs Web site at this address:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html .