COMMISSION VOTE AUTHORIZES EARLY SITE PERMIT
FOR NORTH ANNA SITE IN VIRGINIA
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By a 3-0 vote, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission today authorized its Office of New Reactors to issue an Early Site Permit (ESP) to Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC for the North Anna ESP site near Louisa, Va. The staff has 10 business days to carry out the Commission’s directions and issue the permit, the third ESP the NRC has approved.

Successful completion of the ESP process resolves many site-related safety and environmental issues, and determines the site is suitable for possible future construction and operation of a nuclear power plant. The company filed its ESP application Sept. 25, 2003. The permit will be valid for up to 20 years. During that time, the company (or any other potential applicant interested in the site) must still seek NRC approval for a Combined License to build one or more nuclear plants on the site before any significant construction can occur.

The NRC staff’s technical review of the North Anna ESP application covered issues such as how the site’s characteristics could affect plant safety, environmental protection, and plans for coping with emergencies. The staff published a final safety evaluation for the North Anna ESP in August 2006, and a final environmental impact statement in December 2006. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) conducted a hearing on the matter and ruled June 29, 2007, that the permit could be issued.

The NRC issued the first-ever ESP for the Clinton site in Illinois on March 15, and issued an ESP for the Grand Gulf site in Mississippi on April 5. The NRC continues to work on the ESP application for the Vogtle site in Georgia. Copies of the North Anna ESP and related documents will be available on the agency’s Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/esp/north-anna.html. The documents are also available for inspection at the NRC’s Public Document Room in Rockville, Md., and at the Louisa County Library, 881 Davis Highway in Mineral, Va.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010