NRC ISSUES FINAL SAFETY EVALUATION REPORT FOR 

COLUMBIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT LICENSE RENEWAL 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued its final safety evaluation report (SER) 

for the proposed renewal of the operating license for the Columbia Generating Station and 

concluded that there are no open items that would preclude license renewal for an additional 20 

years of operation. 

The report documents the results of the NRC staff’s review of the license renewal 

application and site audits of the plant’s aging management programs to address the safety of 

plant operations during the period of extended operation. Overall, the results show that the 

applicant has identified actions that have been or will be taken to manage the effects of aging in 

the appropriate safety systems, structures and components of the plant and that their functions 

will be maintained during the period of extended operation. 

Issuing the final SER is a significant milestone in the license renewal review process.

This process proceeds along two tracks – one for review of safety issues and another for

environmental issues. The SER marks the completion of the NRC staff’s safety review that is

published and subsequently reviewed and publicly discussed by the agency’s Advisory

Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS). The staff is in the process of reviewing the

environmental part of the Columbia plant’s license renewal application. That review must be

completed before a final decision is made on the renewal.

The SER and the license renewal application have been provided to the ACRS, an

independent body of experts that advises the Commission on reactor safety matters. The ACRS

will discuss the SER during its April meeting, details of which will be posted on the ACRS 

meeting section of the NRC website. The ACRS will later issue a letter discussing the results of 

its review.

Energy Northwest (EN) submitted an application to the NRC in January 2010, to extend 

the plant licenses by 20 years for each unit. The plant, operated by EN, is located on the 

Columbia River about 160 miles southeast of Seattle. The current 40-year operating license for 

Columbia is due to expire on Dec. 20, 2023.

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

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No. 12-020 March 1, 2012
In a letter dated Feb. 28, 2012, Melanie Galloway, acting director of the Office of 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation’s Division of License Renewal, provided EN with the SER. 

Columbia’s final Safety Evaluation Report will be available on the NRC’s website.

Documents related to Columbia Generating Station license renewal application are also 

located at the following locations: Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive in Richland, 

and at the Mid-Columbia Libraries – Kennewick Branch, 1620 South Union St., Kennewick, 

Wash.

Additional information concerning license renewal in general and the Columbia

Generating Station license renewal application can be found online on the NRC website. 

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