NRC REQUESTS PLANS FROM 18 NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS TO ADDRESS APPARENT DECOMMISSIONING FUNDING ASSURANCE SHORTFALLS
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The NRC has contacted 18 nuclear power plants to clarify how the companies will address the recent economic downturn’s effects on funds to decommission reactors in the future.

Nuclear power plant operators are required to set aside funds during a reactor’s operating life to ensure the reactor site will be properly cleaned up once the reactor is permanently shut down.  The NRC’s review of the latest reports on decommissioning funding assurance suggests several plants must adjust their funding plans.

“We’ll discuss this with the plants over the next few weeks so they can explain to us how they’ll get the funds back on track to account for their decommissioning cost estimates,” said Tim McGinty, director of Policy and Rulemaking in the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “This is not a current safety issue, but the plants do have to prove to us they’re setting aside money appropriately.”

The letters for the affected plants will be available in the NRC’s electronic documents database, ADAMS, by entering each letter’s accession number (indicated below) here: http://adamswebsearch.nrc.gov/dologin.htm.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009