Press Release-09-142, NRC Issues Final Safety Evaluation Report for Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal

Press Release-09-142: NRC Issues Final Safety Evaluation Report for Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant License Renewal

ML092390643
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	08/27/2009
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-09-142
Download: ML092390643 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov Site: http://www.nrc.gov No.09-142 August 27, 2009 NRC ISSUES FINAL SAFETY EVALUATION REPORT FOR SUSQUEHANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL 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 staffs review of the license renewal application and site audits of the plants aging management programs to address the safety of plant operations during the period of extended operation. It represents the culmination of NRCs 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 staffs safety review that is published and subsequently reviewed and publicly discussed by the agencys Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). The staff is in the process of reviewing the environmental part of the Susquehanna plants license renewal application. That review must be completed before a final decision is made on the renewal.

The SER and the license renewal application have been provided to the ACRS, an independent body of experts that advises the Commission on reactor safety matters. The ACRS will discuss the SER during its September meeting, details of which will be posted on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/agenda/2009/. The ACRS will later issue a letter discussing the results of its review.

PPL Susquehanna, LLC submitted an application to the NRC in September 2006 to extend the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station licenses by 20 years for each unit. The plant is located in Salem Township about five miles northeast of Berwick, Pa. The current 40-year

operating licenses for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 are due to expire on July 17, 2022 and March 23, 2024, respectively.

In a letter dated Aug. 27, Brian Holian, director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulations Division of License Renewal, provided PPL Susquehanna, LLC with the SER. The SER will be available on the NRCs Web site at:

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

Documents related to Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 are also located at the following locations: McBride Memorial Library, 500 N. Market St., Berwick, and at the Mill Memorial Library, 495 E. Main St., Nanticoke, Pa.

Additional information concerning license renewal in general and the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2 application in particular can be found at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/license-renewal-bg.html and http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html, respectively.

News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.