NRC TO MEET WITH PUBLIC MARCH 2 FOR INPUT ON SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT 

NUCLEAR PLANT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR LICENSE RENEWAL 

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold two public meetings on 

Wednesday, March 2, in Bay City, Texas, on the environmental review of South Texas Project 

(STP) Nuclear Operating Co.’s application to renew the operating licenses for the STP nuclear 

reactors near Bay City. The public is invited to attend and comment on environmental issues the 

NRC should consider in its review of the proposed license renewal.

The meetings will be held at the Bay City Civic Center located at 201 7th St. There will be 

two sessions: one in the afternoon from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., and one in the evening from 

7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. In addition, the NRC staff will host informal discussions one hour prior 

to each meeting to answer questions and provide additional information about the process. Formal 

comments on environmental issues should be provided during either of the scheduled sessions.

“This is the first of several opportunities for public participation during the course of our 

evaluation of the South Texas license renewal application,” said Bo Pham, branch chief in the 

NRC’s Division of License Renewal. “Public input is important to the process and all of the 

comments we receive will be considered as we move forward with our review.”

The meetings will include an NRC staff presentation on the license renewal process, after 

which members of the public will be given the opportunity to present their comments on what 

environmental issues the NRC should consider during its review.

For planning purposes, those who wish to present oral comments at the meeting are 

encouraged to contact Tam Tran, email at tam.tran@nrc.gov or telephone at 301- 415-3617.

People may also register to speak before the start of each session. Individual comment time may be 

limited by the time available. 

Both South Texas Project Units 1 and 2 are pressurized-water nuclear reactors, located 

12 miles southwest of Bay City, Texas. The plant’s current operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 will 

expire on Aug. 20, 2027, and Dec. 15, 2028, respectively.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

Site: http://www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. 11-017 February 7, 2011
The licensee, STP Nuclear Operating Co., submitted the renewal application in a letter 

dated Oct. 25, 2010. 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 

requirements are met. Therefore, if approved, the current operating license for STP Units 1 and 2,

would be extended until 2047 and 2048, respectively.

The application is available for public review at the Bay City Public Library, located at 

1100 7th Street, Bay City, Texas. It is also available in the NRC Public Document Room, One White 

Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., and on the Internet at

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/south-texas-project.html. 

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

Renewal of Nuclear 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 NRC staff 

is gathering information at these meetings for a supplement to the generic environmental impact 

statement (EIS) that will be specific to STP. It will contain a recommendation regarding potential 

environmental impacts of the license renewal action.

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

summary of conclusions and significant issues, and will send a copy to interested persons who 

participated in the scoping process. 

The NRC staff will then prepare a draft environmental impact statement supplement for 

public comment and will hold a public meeting to solicit comments. After consideration of 

comments received on the draft, the NRC will prepare a final EIS supplement.

Members of the public may also submit written comments on the scope of the STP specific

supplement to the generic environmental impact statement. Comments should be submitted either 

by mail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Division 

of Administrative Services, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by electronic submission at: 

www.regulations.gov reference Docket ID NRC-10-0375, or by fax to RADB at (301) 492-3446.

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