NRC RENEWS OPERATING LICENSES FOR BEAVER VALLEY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 YEARS
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed the operating licenses for the Beaver Valley Power Station, Units 1 and 2, in Shippingport (Beaver County), Pa., for an additional 20 years. The new licenses will expire on Jan. 29, 2036, and May 27, 2047, respectively.

The decision to renew the licenses comes after thorough safety and environmental reviews of the application submitted Aug. 27, 2007, by the plant’s operator, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. The Beaver Valley plants are two pressurized-water nuclear reactors located 17 miles west of McCandless, Pa. The NRC held public meetings near the plant on Nov. 27, 2007, and Oct. 30, 2008, to discuss NRC’s environmental review of Beaver Valley. In May, NRC staff concluded there were no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons.

In June, after careful review of the plants’ safety systems and specifications, the staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal and that the applicant had effectively demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging. In addition, NRC conducted inspections of the plant to verify information submitted by the applicant. On Sept. 16 the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards – an independent body of technical experts that advises the Commission – issued its recommendation that license renewal for Beaver Valley should be approved.

The NRC staff issued a supplemental safety evaluation report on Oct. 6 that updated commitments related to containment liner inspections. The safety and environmental review reports, application and letters relating to the Beaver Valley license renewal are available on the NRC Web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/bvalley.html.
           
The Beaver Valley licenses represent the 56th and 57th reactor licenses renewed by the NRC. There are 13 applications for 20 units currently under active review by the agency.

A complete listing of renewal applications can be found on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

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Friday, November 06, 2009