NRC ANNOUNCES OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN HEARING ON 

NEW NUCLEAR 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 Sept. 20, 2007, and updated the application on Jan. 31, 

2008, and Sept. 24, 2008. 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 

NRC certified the ABWR design in 1997, and the design is currently in use overseas. The 

application (minus proprietary or security-related details), is available on the NRC Web site at: 

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

 The NRC staff determined in November 2007 that the application contained sufficient 

information for the agency to formally “docket,” or file, the application and begin its technical 

review. Much of the review was suspended in January 2008, following the applicants’ decision 

to change reactor vendors, and the application’s Sept. 24, 2008, revision reflected that change. 

The staff has determined the updated application is sufficient to restart review activities. 

Restarting the application’s review does not preclude additional requests for information as the 

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

numbers established for this application are 52-012 and 52-013. 

 The NRC has issued in the Federal Register a notice of opportunity to intervene in the 

proceeding on the application, and the deadline for requesting a hearing is April 21. 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 June 2007 public information session 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. 09-036 February 20, 2009
2007. Additional guidance and instructions regarding electronic submissions to the NRC EIE 

system are available on the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html. 

 

Detailed information about the new reactor licensing process can be found on the NRC 

Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-reactors.html. 

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