NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN HEARING ON 

NEW REACTOR APPLICATION FOR SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT SITE 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced the opportunity to participate in 

the hearing on a Combined License (COL) application for two new reactors at the South Texas 

Project site near Bay City, Texas. 

NRG Energy and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company submitted the COL 

application and associated information in a Sept. 20 letter. The application seeks approval to 

build and operate two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWR) at the site, approximately 12 

miles southwest of Bay City. The ABWR is a 1,300 MWe design the NRC certified in 1997, and 

is currently in use overseas. 

 The NRC staff has determined that the application contains sufficient information for the 

agency to formally “docket,” or file, the application and begin its technical review. The 

applicants must provide more information, however, before the NRC can establish a complete 

review schedule. 

Docketing the application does not preclude additional requests for information as the 

review proceeds; nor does it indicate whether the Commission will issue the license. The South 

Texas Project COL application is posted on the NRC Web site at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/col/south-texas-project.html . 

 A notice of opportunity to intervene will be published shortly in the Federal Register. 

The deadline for petitioning to intervene is 60 days after publication of the notice. Petitions may 

be filed by anyone whose interest may be affected by the proposed license, who wishes to 

participate as a party in the proceeding, and who meets criteria set out in the NRC’s regulations. 

Background information regarding the hearing process was provided by NRC staff to members 

of the public during a public information session held in June in Bay City. 

 A petition to intervene must be electronically submitted in a timely manner to the NRC's 

Electronic Information Exchange (EIE) system. The petition to intervene must be filed in 

accordance with the NRC's E-Filing Rule that appeared in the Federal Register on Aug. 28. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 

E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No. 07-170 December 20, 2007
Additional guidance and instructions regarding electronic submissions to the NRC EIE system is 

available on the NRC web pages at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html . 

 

 The NRC is currently conducting acceptance reviews on COL applications for the 

Bellefonte site in Alabama, the North Anna site in Virginia and the Lee site in South Carolina. 

Information about the new reactor licensing process can be found on the NRC Web site here: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactor-licensing.html . 

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