No. 15-071 November 4, 2015

CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC to Hold Mandatory Hearing on South Texas Project

New Reactor Application Nov. 19 in Rockville, Md.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a mandatory hearing Thursday, Nov. 19, on 

an application for Combined Licenses (COL) to build and operate two new reactors at the South Texas 

Project site near Bay City, Texas. This hearing marks the final step in the agency’s Part 52 reactor 

licensing process.

“My fellow Commissioners and I will use this hearing to independently and carefully evaluate 

whether the NRC staff’s safety and environmental reviews are sufficient to support the necessary 

regulatory findings,” said NRC Chairman Stephen G. Burns. “The complex job of reviewing a reactor 

license application is a critical part of our regulatory and safety mission.” 

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

Innovation North America (NINA), as well as NRC staff, on the question of whether the staff’s review 

adequately supports the findings necessary to issue the licenses. 

The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Nov. 19 in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC 

Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 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. 

NINA is applying for permission to build and operate two Advanced Boiling Water Reactors

(ABWRs) at the site, adjacent to two operating reactors run by South Texas Project Nuclear Operating 

Company. NINA submitted the COL application for South Texas Project Units 3 and 4 on Sept. 20, 

2007. The NRC certified the 1,300-megawatt ABWR design in 1997; more information on the 

certification process 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 the staff’s final safety evaluation report

(FSER). The committee provided the results of its review to the Commission on Feb. 19, 2015. The 

NRC completed its environmental review and issued the final impact statement for the proposed

reactors in February 2011. The NRC completed and issued the FSER on Sept. 29, 2015. 

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 
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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.