NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

 Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov 

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA

No. 04-081 July 01, 2004

NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY FOR HEARING ON APPLICATION

TO INCREASE POWER OUTPUT OF VERMONT YANKEE

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

application from Entergy Nuclear Operations to increase the maximum authorized power level at the

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station from 1,593 megawatts thermal to 1,912 megawatts thermal. 

This would represent an increase of approximately 100 megawatts electric.

The Vermont Yankee plant is located in Windham County near Vernon, Vermont, and the

proposed change represents an approximate increase of 20 percent over the current maximum

authorized output. The proposed amendment would also change Vermont Yankee’s operating

requirements to provide the means to implement the power increase. The NRC will approve the

amendment only if the agency finds Vermont Yankee can operate safely at the increased power level.

“The NRC has already received significant public comment on issues related to the review,”

said Bill Ruland, the NRC power uprate manager. “The NRC staff will pursue these issues. We will

not approve the uprate unless we are satisfied it can be done safely.”

A notice of the opportunity to request a hearing was published July 1 in the Federal Register,

and anyone wishing to request a hearing must file a petition by August 30. Petitions may be filed by

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

in the proceeding. The specific requirements for filing a request for hearing are included in the Federal

Register notice.

A request for a hearing and a petition for leave to intervene must be filed by sending it to this

address:

-- Secretary of the Commission

 Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff

 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

 Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

-- via fax to 301-415-1101

-- or via e-mail to hearingdocket@nrc.gov .
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Copies of petitions should also be sent to:

-- Office of the General Counsel

 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

 Washington, DC 20555-0001

-- via fax to 301-415-3725

-- or via e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov ; and to:

-- John M. Fulton, Assistant General Counsel

 Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc.

 440 Hamilton Avenue

 White Plains, NY 10601 .

The Vermont Yankee power increase application was submitted Sept. 10, 2003, and was

supplemented with information submitted in letters dated Oct. 1, 2003; Oct. 28, 2003; January 31,

2004; March 4, 2004; and May 19, 2004. These documents are available on the NRC web site at this

address:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/vermont-yankee-issues/vermont-yankee-application.h

tml#five . The documents are also available for inspection at the NRC’s Public Document Room in

Rockville, Maryland. For more information, contact Richard Ennis, Senior Project Manager, Division

of Licensing Project Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, Mail Stop O-8B1, Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone 301-415-1420.

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