NRC ISSUES FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR 

PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued its final supplemental 

environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the proposed renewal of the operating licenses for the

Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Units 1 and 2. The report concluded there are no 

environmental impacts that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 years of 

operation.

The Prairie Island plant has two pressurized-water reactors located 28 miles southeast of 

Minneapolis, Minn. The current operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 expire on Aug. 9, 2013, and 

Oct. 29, 2014, respectively.

Northern States Power Company submitted an application to the NRC on April 11, 2008, 

to extend the Prairie Island licenses by 20 years. Under NRC regulations, the original operating 

licenses for a nuclear power plant have a term of 40 years. The licenses may be renewed for up 

to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met. Therefore, if approved, the current 

operating licenses for Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Units 1 and 2 would be extended 

to 2033 and 2034.

In a letter dated June 14, 2008, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Prairie Island 

Indian Community (PIIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for working together 

to review potential environmental impacts of the proposed license renewal. This was the first 

MOU dealing with a license renewal environmental review.

The MOU recognized PIIC’s special expertise and information as it related to historic 

and archeological resources, socioeconomics, land use, and environmental justice. The NRC 

retains final authority on the renewal decision.

This license renewal review process proceeds along two tracks – one for review of safety 

issues and another for environmental issues. 

As part of its environmental review of the application, the NRC held public meetings

near the plant to discuss the review process and the draft version of the environmental impact 

statement. Comments were received and considered from members of the public, the PIIC, local

officials, and representatives of State and federal agencies.

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. 11-084 May 17, 2011
Publication of the final environmental impact statement does not represent final NRC

action on the license renewal application. The agency staff completed its safety evaluation report

(SER) in October 2009. The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)

evaluated the SER and issued its recommendation to the Commission on January 13, 2010.

The Prairie Island final environmental impact statement is available on the NRC’s 

website at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement39/

and can also be viewed in the NRC’s ADAMS online documents system at 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html by entering accession number

“ML11133A029” in the search window. Help in using ADAMS is available by contacting the 

NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at 

PDR.Resource@NRC.GOV. 

The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Units 1 and 2 license renewal application is 

posted at:

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/prairie-island.html.

Documents related to Prairie Island’s license renewal are also located at the Red Wing Public 

Library, at 225 East Ave. in Red Wing, Minn. Additional information about the license renewal 

process is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

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