NRC NEWS

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303

Web Site: www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. II-00-64 November 20, 2000

CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416/e-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov

Roger D. Hannah (404)562-4417/e-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov

NRC STAFF SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON DRAFT REPORT THAT FINDS

HATCH LICENSE RENEWAL ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reached the preliminary conclusion that there are

no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the operating licenses for the two units at the

Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant in Appling County, Georgia.

The information is contained in a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed license

renewal. The statement is open for public comment until January 24, 2001, and will also be the subject

of public meetings December 12 in Vidalia, Georgia.

The NRC has been reviewing the application for extension of the Hatch licenses since Southern

Nuclear Operating Company, which operates the plants, filed it in March. Under NRC regulations, the

original operating license for a nuclear power plant is issued for up to 40 years. The license may be

renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. The current operating licenses

for Hatch will expire on August 6, 2014, for Unit 1 and June 13, 2018, for Unit 2.

The possible environmental effects of an additional 20 years of nuclear plant operation are

described in the NRC's Generic Environmental Impact Statement, or GEIS (NUREG-1437). The NRC

issues a site-specific supplement to the GEIS on each plant requesting license renewal to address the

potential environmental impacts. Issues specific to Hatch are addressed in Supplement 4, which was

published in draft form earlier this month. The NRC staff's preliminary recommendation is that the

Commission determine that the adverse environmental impacts of license renewal for the two units at

Hatch are not so great that preserving the option of license renewal for energy-planning decision

makers would be unreasonable.

On Tuesday, December 12, the NRC staff will hold two similar meetings to obtain comments

on the draft environmental impact statement, which reviews potential environmental effects of

renewing the operating licenses of the Hatch units for an additional 20 years. The meetings will be

held at the Tattnall Auditorium at Southeastern Technical Institute from 1:30 - 4:30 in the afternoon,

and from 7 - 10 in the evening, or until all interested people have an opportunity to speak.
The two sessions will begin with identical overviews, including a discussion by NRC staff and

its contractors of the contents of the draft supplement to the GEIS. The meeting will then be opened

for public comment.

For planning purposes, interested parties are encouraged to pre-register to attend or to present

oral comments at the December 12 meeting by contacting Andrew Kugler by telephone at (800)

368-5642, extension 2828, or by Internet at hatcheis@nrc.gov by December 7. Interested parties may

also register before each session to make comments. Individual comments may be limited to

accommodate all speakers.

Written comments on the draft supplement to the GEIS will also be considered by NRC staff.

Comments should be submitted either by mail to the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of

Administrative Services, Mail stop T-6 D 59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC

20555-0001, or by Internet to hatcheis@nrc.gov.

The draft supplement to the GEIS, along with other related documents, is available

electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room at NRC headquarters, One

White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland; or electronically on the Internet at

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NUREGS/SR1437/S4/index.html. In addition, the Appling County Library,

located at 242 East Parker Street in Baxley, Georgia, has agreed to make the draft supplement to the

GEIS available for public inspection.

At the conclusion of the public comment period on January 24, 2001, the NRC staff will

consider and address the comments provided and issue a final supplement to the GEIS. That

supplement will contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability for license

renewal.

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