NRC TO HOLD MANDATORY HEARING REGARDING VOGTLE

NEW REACTOR APPLICATION SEPT. 27-28 IN ROCKVILLE, MD

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

Sept. 27, and Wednesday, Sept. 28, on an application for Combined Licenses (COL) and related 

Limited Work Authorizations (LWA) to build and operate two new reactors at the Vogtle site 

near Waynesboro, Ga. The Vogtle application is the first to reach this final step in the Part 52 

new reactor licensing process.

“This mandatory hearing on the first COL application represents a critical step in the 

NRC’s license review process,” said NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko. “I look forward to 

working with my colleagues as we approach this significant assignment of delving into the 

adequacy of the NRC staff’s review of this application.” 

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

Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC), and NRC staff on the question of whether the 

staff’s review has been adequate to support the findings necessary to issue a COL and/or a LWA. 

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27 in the Commissioner’s Conference 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 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) starting on Sept. 28. 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.

SNC is applying for permission to build and operate two AP1000 reactors at the Vogtle 

site, adjacent to the company’s existing reactors approximately 26 miles southeast of Augusta, 

Ga. SNC submitted its COL application for Vogtle on March 28, 2008, and supplemented the 

application on Oct. 2, 2009. The LWA would authorize a specific set of activities that fall short 

of full reactor construction. Westinghouse submitted an application to amend the alreadycertified AP1000, a 1100 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 Jan. 24. The NRC 

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. 11-178 September 22, 2011
completed its environmental review and issued the FSEIS for the Vogtle COL on March 24. The 

NRC completed and issued the FSER on Aug. 9. Because the Vogtle 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.

Media Notes: At this time, the NRC is considering media interest before deciding 

whether the event will be a mandatory pool for television. 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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