No: II-08-032 May 15, 2008 

CONTACT: Ken Clark (404)562-4416 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov 

 Roger Hannah (404)562-4417 

NRC ISSUES DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR VOGTLE 

NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL; PUBLIC MEETING JUNE 3 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has reached the preliminary conclusion 

that there are no environmental impacts which would preclude renewal of the operating licenses 

for the two units at the Vogtle nuclear power plant, operated by Southern Nuclear Operating 

Company near the town of Waynesboro, Ga., southeast of Augusta. That conclusion is contained 

in the NRC’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Vogtle plant, which 

was issued in late April. 

Members of the public will have an opportunity on June 3 to comment on the report at 

two meetings scheduled in Waynesboro. On June 29, 2007, the NRC received an application 

from Southern Nuclear to renew the Vogtle licenses for an additional 20 years. The original NRC 

operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years, but may be renewed for up to 

20 additional years if requirements are met. The current operating licenses for the Vogtle units 

are due to expire on Jan. 16, 2027 for Unit 1 and February 9, 2029 for Unit 2. 

As part of its license renewal application, the company submitted an environmental 

report. The NRC staff reviewed that report and performed an on-site audit. The staff also 

considered comments made during the environmental scoping process, and at two public 

meetings held on Sept. 27, 2007, in Waynesboro. 

Based on its review, the NRC staff has prepared and issued its draft environmental 

impact statement, which preliminarily recommends that the Commission determine the adverse 

environmental impacts of license renewal for the Vogtle nuclear plant are not so great that 

preserving the option of license renewal for energy planning decision-makers would be 

unreasonable. This recommendation is based on five factors: 1) the analysis and findings in the 

Generic Environmental Impact Statement used for license renewal reviews; 2) the plant-specific 

environmental report submitted by Southern Nuclear; 3) NRC consultation with other federal, 

state and local agencies; 4) the NRC staff’s own independent review; and 5) the NRC staff’s 

consideration of public comments received during the environmental scoping process. 

The NRC will hold two meetings on June 3 to accept comments on the draft report. The 

first meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. A second meeting will get under way at 7 p.m. Both 

meetings will take place at the Augusta Technical College, Waynesboro Campus, 216 Highway 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II 

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 

Web Site: www.nrc.gov 
24 South in Waynesboro. NRC staff will be available for an hour prior to the start of each 

meeting for informal, one-on-one discussions. 

Those interested may pre-register to attend or speak at the meetings by contacting J. P. 

Leous, the NRC Environmental Project Manager, by telephone at 1-800-368-5642, extension 

2864, or by e-mail at JPL1@nrc.gov . Members of the public may also register 15 minutes before 

each session to provide oral comments. The duration of individual comments may be limited by 

the number of speakers who register. 

Written comments on the draft report submitted before July 16, 2008, will also be 

considered by the NRC staff. Comments can be submitted by mail to Chief, Rulemaking, 

Directives and Editing Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, 

Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by email to Vogtle_LR_EIS@nrc.gov (note – if typed, address is Vogtle_LR_EIS@nrc.gov) . 

The draft report is posted on the NRC web page at: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doccollections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement34/. The Vogtle license renewal application is posted 

at: www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/vogtle.html. Additional 

information about the license renewal process is available at: 

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

The draft report is also available for review at the Burke County Library, 130 Highway 

24 South in Waynesboro. 

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