NRC TO HOLD MANDATORY HEARING REGARDING SUMMER

NEW REACTOR APPLICATION OCT. 12-13 IN ROCKVILLE, MD

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a mandatory hearing on Wednesday, 

Oct. 12, and Thursday, Oct. 13, on an application for Combined Licenses (COL) to build and 

operate two new reactors at the V.C. Summer site near Jenkinsville, S.C. The Summer

application is the second to reach this final step in the Part 52 new reactor licensing process.

“At this hearing, my colleagues and I will be carefully evaluating whether the NRC 

staff’s safety and environmental reviews have been adequate to support the necessary regulatory 

findings,” said NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko. “The review of a new reactor license is a 

complex undertaking and a critical part of our regulatory and safety mission.” 

The Commission’s hearing will include testimony and exhibits from the applicant, South 

Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), and NRC staff on the question of whether the staff’s review 

has been adequate to support the findings necessary to issue a COL. 

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12 in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC 

Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. The Commission expects to discuss the 

staff’s Final Safety Evaluation Report (FSER) on the first day, with discussion of the staff’s 

Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on Oct. 13. The hearing will be open to public 

observation and will be webcast. A detailed agenda and presentation slides will be available in 

advance on the Commission’s meeting transcript page. 

SCE&G is applying for permission to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at the 

Summer site, adjacent to the company’s existing reactor approximately 26 miles northwest of 

Columbia, S.C. SCE&G submitted its COL application for Summer on March 27, 2008. 

Westinghouse submitted an application to amend the already-certified AP1000, an 1,100-

megawatt electric design, on May 26, 2007. More information on the AP1000 amendment 

review is available on the NRC website. 

The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) independently reviewed 

aspects of the application that concern safety, as well as an earlier version of the FSER. The 

ACRS provided the results of its review to the Commission in a report dated Feb. 17. The NRC

completed its environmental review and issued the FEIS for the Summer COL on April 15. The 

NRC completed and issued the FSER on Aug. 18. Because the Summer COL application 

references the amended AP1000 design, the Commission must first make a decision on the 

AP1000 design certification rule before it can render a mandatory hearing decision on the COL.

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: www.nrc.gov

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

No. 11-186 October 3, 2011
The Commission held its first Part 52 mandatory hearing Sept. 27-28 on the application 

by Southern Nuclear Operating Company for COLs to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at 

the Vogtle site southeast of Augusta, Ga.

Media Notes: At this time, this event will be open for television; the agency reserves the 

right to seek a mandatory pool if demand exceeds available space. Seats on one side of the 

commission hearing room will be reserved for accredited members of the news media. 

Photographers will have limited space at the meeting in which to take photos. Movement must be 

kept to a minimum so as not to be distracting and entry into the inner well closest to the 

Commission briefing table is prohibited. 

Plan to arrive in advance of the meeting at the NRC’s One White Flint North entrance, at 

the corner of Rockville Pike and Marinelli Road, with proper media credentials. The NRC is 

located across the street from the White Flint Metro station. Parking is available at the White 

Flint metro parking garage on Marinelli Road. Members of the media are asked to call the NRC 

Office of Public Affairs (301-415-8200) in advance to provide the names of those attending the 

meeting to assure sufficient seating.

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NOTE: Anyone wishing to take photos or use a camera to record any portion of a NRC meeting should 

contact the Office of Public Affairs beforehand.

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