No. 07-091 July 25, 2007

NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY TO REQUEST HEARING ON APPLICATION TO

RENEW OPERATING LICENSE FOR INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today announced the opportunity to request a hearing on

an application to renew the operating licenses for the Indian Point nuclear power plant, Units 2 and 3,

for an additional 20 years.

The Indian Point plant has two pressurized water reactors located in the town of Buchanan,

N.Y., about 24 miles north of New York City. The plant owner, Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.,

submitted the renewal application April 30. The current operating licenses for Indian Point expire on

Sept. 28, 2013, for Unit 2 and Dec. 12, 2015, for Unit 3. Indian Point Unit 1 was shut down in 1974.

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. Docketing the

application does not preclude requesting additional information as the review proceeds; nor does it

indicate whether the Commission will renew the licenses.

During the docketing review, NRC staff informed Entergy that the current licensing basis for

Unit 2 was not fully represented and that the application did not include information on the gas turbines

currently credited as an alternative power supply in case of “station blackout,” or loss of all alternating

current (AC) power. Entergy subsequently committed to installing a diesel generator for Unit 2 and

having it operational by April 30, 2008.

The NRC also received letters from the New York State Attorney General, Riverkeeper, and

Friends United for Sustainable Energy (FUSE), asserting that Entergy’s license renewal application

was incomplete or inaccurate. Although the NRC has determined that the application contains

sufficient information to docket the application, the staff will consider these comments as appropriate

during the technical review process.

The Indian Point application for license renewal is posted at

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/indian-point.html.

An NRC review schedule for Indian Point will also be posted soon. Because of the pending installation

of the diesel generator for Unit 2, the NRC staff anticipates the review will take 27 months if no

hearing is granted, and 35 months with a hearing. Meeting this schedule will depend on Entergy’s

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 

Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov
prompt submission of all requested and necessary information. License renewal reviews typically take

22 months with no hearing, or 30 months with a hearing.

A notice of opportunity to request a hearing will be published soon in the Federal Register. The

deadline for requesting a hearing is 60 days after publication of the notice. Petitions may be filed by

anyone whose interest may be affected by the license renewal and who wishes to participate as a party

in the proceeding. Background information regarding the hearing process was disseminated by NRC

staff to members of the public during a public information session conducted near Indian Point on June

27.

A request for hearing and a petition for leave to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of

the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention:

Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Requests may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 415-1101

or e-mail to HEARINGDOCKET@nrc.gov. A copy should also be submitted to the NRC Office of

General Counsel, by facsimile to (301) 415-3725 or e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov.

Information about the license renewal process can be found on the NRC Web site at

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

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