NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs, Region I

 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.

www.nrc.gov

 

No. I-05-060 November 8, 2005

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov

Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331

NRC ADVISORY PANEL SUBCOMMITTEE TO MEET IN BRATTLEBORO, VT.,

ON NOV. 15-16 TO DISCUSS VERMONT YANKEE PROPOSED POWER UPRATE

 A subcommittee of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission advisory panel will review the power

uprate proposed for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and Wednesday,

Nov. 16, in Brattleboro, Vt. The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) sessions are

scheduled for 8:30 a.m. until about 5:30 p.m. both days at the Quality Inn and Suites, at 1380 Putney

Road.

 Entergy, the company which owns and operates Vermont Yankee, has proposed a 20-percent

increase in power for the plant, located in Vernon, Vt. The NRC staff is continuing to review the

proposal. As it does with all power uprate applications of this size, the ACRS – an independent body

of experts that, among other duties, reviews and reports on reactor safety studies, license-renewal

applications and certain license-amendment requests – will assess the proposal and offer its

recommendations.

 During the meeting in Brattleboro, the ACRS Subcommittee on Power Uprates will hear

presentations by, and hold discussions with, NRC staff members, agency contractors, Entergy

representatives and other individuals interested in this matter. The panel will gather information,

analyze relevant issues and facts, and formulate proposed positions and actions, as appropriate, for

deliberation by the full committee. The ACRS is independent of the NRC staff and reports directly to

the Commission.

 Members of the public interested in making oral statements are asked to contact Ralph Caruso

of the ACRS at least five days prior to the sessions. He can reached at 301-415-8065 or via e-mail at

RXC@NRC.GOV . Also, there will be a sign-up sheet at the meeting for those who do not provide

advance notification of their intention to offer comments. The panel will try to accommodate as many

of those speakers as possible within the time limits of the meeting. There will also be an opportunity to

submit written comments. Electronic recordings of the meeting will be permitted. However, signs will

not be allowed in the meeting room.

 Further information regarding the meeting is available from Mr. Caruso at the phone number

and e-mail address listed above.
-2-

 In addition to the Brattleboro sessions, the ACRS subcommittee expects to consider the

Vermont Yankee power uprate application on Nov. 29-30 at the NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Md. 

The full committee will consider the application on Dec. 8. Some portions of those meetings may be

closed to the public during discussions involving proprietary information.

 In line with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the ACRS provides a forum where experts

representing many technical perspectives can provide independent advice that is factored into the

Commission’s decision-making process. The ACRS consists of 11 individuals with a wide variety of

engineering expertise. At present, the kinds of expertise provided by panel members cover such areas

as nuclear, mechanical, civil and electrical engineering; risk assessment; chemistry; materials science

and metallurgy; and thermal-hydraulics and heat transfer.

 Additional information about the ACRS, including meeting dates and times, is available at:

http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/advisory/acrs.html

 

 ###