Press Release-14-075, NRC Agrees to Changes in Kewaunee Nuclear Plant'S Emergency Programs

Press Release-14-075: NRC Agrees to Changes in Kewaunee Nuclear Plant'S Emergency Programs

ML15012A490
Person / Time
Site:	Kewaunee
Issue date:	10/28/2014
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-14-075
Download: ML15012A490 (1)

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No: 14-075 October 28, 2014 CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200 NRC Agrees to Changes in Kewaunee Nuclear Plants Emergency Programs The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted Dominion Energy Kewaunees request to alter the emergency preparedness program for the Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin to reflect the plants decommissioning status.

The changes come in the form of exemptions from certain requirements in NRCs regulations for operating nuclear power plants that may not be applicable for a plant undergoing decommissioning.

Specifically, Kewaunee will no longer be required to maintain offsite radiological emergency preparedness plans or the 10-mile emergency planning zone. The plant will maintain an onsite emergency plan and response capabilities, including the continued notification of local government officials for an emergency declaration. The Kewaunee emergency plan incorporating these exemptions will be reviewed separately by the NRC.

The NRC staff agreed with Dominions analyses that the exemptions are warranted because the risk of an offsite radiological release is significantly lower, and the types of possible accidents are significantly fewer, at a nuclear power reactor that has permanently ceased operations and removed fuel from the reactor vessel than at an operating power reactor. The staff proposed granting the exemptions in June. The Commission approved the exemptions in August. The exemption package, including a safety evaluation report, was issued Oct. 27 and is available in the NRCs ADAMS database under accession number ML14261A223.

The Kewaunee Power Station is a single pressurized water reactor located in Carlton, Wis. The plant permanently shut down on May 7, 2013, and the reactor was defueled shortly thereafter. The exemptions for emergency preparedness requirements are part of several changes to the plants licensing basis and technical specifications to reflect Kewaunees decommissioning status.