Press Release-12-034, NRC Concludes Hearing on Summer New Reactors, Combined Licenses to Be Issued

From kanterella
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Press Release-12-034: NRC Concludes Hearing on Summer New Reactors, Combined Licenses to Be Issued
ML120900825
Person / Time
Site: Summer  South Carolina Electric & Gas Company icon.png
Issue date: 03/30/2012
From:
Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
Press Release-12-034
Download: ML120900825 (2)
v • d • e


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: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No.12-034 March 30, 2012 NRC CONCLUDES HEARING ON SUMMER NEW REACTORS, COMBINED LICENSES TO BE ISSUED The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded its mandatory hearing on the South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) and Santee Cooper application for two Combined Licenses (COL) at the Summer site in South Carolina. In a 4-1 vote the Commission found the NRC staffs review adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings, clearing the way for the NRCs Office of New Reactors (NRO) to issue the COLs.

The Commissions findings impose two conditions on the COLs, with the first requiring inspection and testing of squib valves, important components of the new reactors passive cooling system. The second requires the development of strategies to respond to extreme natural events resulting in the loss of power at the new reactors. The Commission also directed NRO to issue to SCE&G and Santee Cooper, simultaneously with the COLs, an Order requiring enhanced, reliable spent fuel pool instrumentation, as well as a request for information related to emergency plant staffing.

The NRC staff is expected to issue the COLs within 10 business days. The COLs will authorize SCE&G and Santee Cooper to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at the Summer site, adjacent to the companys existing reactor approximately 26 miles northwest of Columbia, S.C. An NRC construction inspector has been on-site since October 2011, examining SCE&Gs activities to prepare the site.

SCE&G and Santee Cooper submitted the COL application on March 27, 2008. The NRCs Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) independently reviewed aspects of the application that concern safety, as well as a draft of the staffs Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER). The ACRS provided the results of its review to the Commission in a report dated Feb. 17, 2011. The NRC completed its environmental review and issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Summer COLs on April 15, 2011. The NRC completed and issued the FSER on Aug. 17, 2011.

The NRC certified Westinghouses amended AP1000 design on Dec. 30, 2011. The AP1000 is a 1,100 megawatt electric pressurized-water reactor that includes passive safety features that

would cool down the reactor after an accident without the need for electricity or human intervention.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov

Retrieved from "https://kanterella.com/w/index.php?title=Press_Release-12-034,_NRC_Concludes_Hearing_on_Summer_New_Reactors,_Combined_Licenses_to_Be_Issued&oldid=2463335"