No. I-07-058 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331 

November 8, 2007

NRC TO DISCUSS PROCESS FOR REVIEW OF LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION 

FOR BEAVER VALLEY NUCLEAR PLANT, SEEK ENVIRONMENTAL INPUT 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct two public meetings on Tuesday, 

Nov. 27, to discuss the agency’s review process for the license renewal application for the 

Beaver Valley nuclear power plant, located in Shippingport (Beaver County), Pa. The sessions 

will also provide an opportunity for members of the public to comment on environmental issues 

they believe the NRC should consider during its review of the application, which requests an 

additional 20 years of operation. 

 The meetings, which will be transcribed, will take place at the Embassy Suites 

Pittsburgh-International Airport, at 550 Cherrington Parkway in Pittsburgh. The first session will 

run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The second session, which will follow the same format as the first 

meeting, will get under way at 7 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. The NRC will also host an 

“open house” beginning 1 hour before the start of each meeting to provide interested citizens 

with an opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. However, formal comments must be 

expressed during the transcribed meetings. 

 Both sessions will start with an NRC presentation on the overall license renewal review 

process, which includes safety and environmental assessments. Following the presentations, 

audience members can ask questions and offer comments on environmental issues they consider 

worthy of evaluation as the agency reviews the Beaver Valley application. Additional 

information on the license renewal process is available on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html . 

 “We look forward to this opportunity to explain our review process and to receive the 

public’s input on environmental issues relating to the Beaver Valley license renewal 

application,” said Rani Franovich, a Branch Chief in the NRC’s Division of License Renewal. 

“This will be the first of several opportunities for the public to weigh in on the proposal.” 

 Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a 

term of 40 years. The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406 

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: http://www.nrc.gov
requirements are met. The current operating licenses for Beaver Valley Units 1 and 2 expire, 

respectively, on Jan. 29, 2016, and May 27, 2027. The plant is owned and operated by 

FirstEnergy. 

 The company’s license renewal application for Beaver Valley was received by the NRC 

on Aug. 28, 2027. As part of the application, the company submitted an environmental report, 

which is posted on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/bvalley.html . It is also 

available for review at the NRC’s Public Document Room in Rockville, Md., which can be 

reached by phone at 1-800-397-4209 or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov , and at the following public 

libraries: Beaver Area Memorial Library, 100 College Ave., Beaver, Pa.; and the Beaver County 

Library System, 1 Campus Drive, Monaca, Pa. 

 An existing NRC document, “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License 

Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants” (NUREG-1437), assesses the scope and impact of 

environmental effects that would be associated with license renewal at any nuclear power plant 

site. The document for which the NRC will gather information at the Nov. 27th meetings will be 

a supplement to that generic environmental statement that is specific to Beaver Valley. It will 

contain a recommendation regarding the environmental acceptability of the license renewal 

action. 

 At the conclusion of the information-gathering process, the NRC staff will prepare a 

summary of the conclusions and significant issues. A copy will be sent to each person who 

participated in the “scoping” process. The summary will also be made available on the NRC’s 

web site through the Public Electronic Reading Room at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html

and at the previously listed libraries. Help in accessing documents through the Reading Room is 

available by contacting the Public Document Room. 

The NRC staff will subsequently prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) 

supplement for public comment and will hold public meetings at a future date to solicit 

comments. After consideration of comments on the draft report, the NRC will prepare a final EIS 

supplement. 

 Interested individuals may register to attend or present oral comments at the Nov. 27th

meetings by contacting Project Manager Kent Howard at 1-800-368-5642, ext. 2989, or by email to BeaverValleyEIS@nrc.gov no later than Nov. 15, 2007. Those who wish to comment 

may also register at the meetings within 15 minutes of the start of each session. Individual oral 

comments may be limited by the time available, depending on the number of persons who 

register. 

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