NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

 Web Site: www.nrc.gov

No. 03-006 January 10, 2003

NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING ON 

SURRY INDEPENDENT SPENT FUEL STORAGE INSTALLATION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced an opportunity for a hearing on a license

renewal application from Virginia Electric and Power Company (VEPCO) to allow continued storage of

spent nuclear fuel in the independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the Surry nuclear power

plant, located in Surry County, Virginia. 

The NRC staff has completed a preliminary review of the license renewal application and has

determined that VEPCO submitted sufficient information for the NRC to formally “docket,” or file, the

April 29 application and conduct a detailed review. The license renewal term is generally 20 years;

however, VEPCO requested an exemption to the regulations which, if granted, would allow the license

to be renewed for 40 years. The current license will expire July 31, 2006. 

A renewed license will not be approved until the NRC has thoroughly reviewed the application

and determined that the renewal will not constitute an unreasonable risk to public health and safety nor

pose a threat to the common defense and security. The NRC will also conduct an evaluation to assess

the environmental impacts of the requested renewal. 

The deadline for anyone requesting a hearing is 30 days after publication of a Federal Register

Notice on this subject, expected shortly. By that time, requests must be filed by anyone whose interest

might be affected by the license renewal and who wishes to participate as a party to the proceeding. 

Requests for a hearing must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Document Control Desk. They may

also be delivered to the NRC Public Document Room at 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. 

Because of continuing disruptions in mail delivery service to U.S. Government offices, petitions for

leave to intervene and requests for hearing should be sent to the Secretary of the Commission either by

fax to 301-415-1101 or by e-mail to hearingdocket@nrc.gov. A copy of the request should also be sent

by mail to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC

20555-0001, and by e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov or fax to 301-415-3725. Additionally, a copy

should be sent to David A. Christian, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Operations and Chief Nuclear

Officer, Virginia Electric and Power Company, 5000 Dominion Boulevard, Glen Allen, VA 23060-
6711. Additional information about the opportunity for hearing may be found in the Federal Register

notice. 

A copy of the April 29 ISFSI renewal application is available through the NRC’s Agency-wide

Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). Help in using ADAMS is available by

contacting the NRC Public Document Room staff at 301-415-4737 or 1-800-397-4209, or by sending an

e-mail message to pdr@nrc.gov. The application is also available for public inspection at the NRC’s

Public Document Room in Rockville, MD. 

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