[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46680-46682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16467]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket Nos. 50-424 and 50-425]
Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc., Vogtle Electric
Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2; Notice of Acceptance for Docketing of
the Application, and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing Regarding
Renewal of Facility Operating License Nos. NPF-68 and NPF-81 for an
Additional 20-Year Period
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) is
considering an application for the renewal of operating licenses NPF-68
and NPF-81, which authorizes Southern Nuclear Operating Company, Inc.
(SNC), to operate the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (VEGP), Units 1
and 2, at 3565 and 3565 megawatts thermal, respectively. Renewal of the
licenses would authorize the applicant to operate VEGP, Unit 1 for an
additional 20-year period beyond the period specified in the current
operating license. For VEGP, Unit 2, the renewed license would
authorize the applicant to operate for an additional 20 years beyond
the period specified in the current operating license or 40 years from
the date of issuance of the new license, whichever occurs first. The
current operating license for VEGP, Unit 1, (NPF-68), expires on
January 16, 2027. VEGP, Unit 1 is a Pressurized Water Reactor designed
by Westinghouse. The current operating license for VEGP, Unit 2, (NPF-
81), expires on February 9, 2029. VEGP, Unit 2, is a Pressurized Water
Reactor designed by Westinghouse. Both units are located near
Waynesboro, Georgia.
On June 29, 2007, the Commission's staff received an application
from SNC, to renew operating licenses NPF-68 and NPF-81, pursuant to
Title 10, Part 54, ``Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for
Nuclear Power Plants,'' of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part
54). A notice of receipt and availability of the license renewal
application (LRA) was published in the Federal Register on August 3,
2007 (72 FR 43296).
The Commission's staff has reviewed the LRA for its acceptability
and has determined that SNC has submitted sufficient information in
accordance with 10 CFR 54.19, 54.21, 54.22, 54.23, and 51.53(c), and
that the application is acceptable for docketing. The
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Commission will retain the current Docket Nos. 50-424 and 50-425, for
operating licenses NPF-68 and NPF-81. The docketing of the LRA does not
preclude requests for additional information as the review proceeds,
nor does it predict whether the Commission will grant or deny the
license.
Before issuance of each requested renewed license, the NRC will
have made the findings required by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as
amended (the Act), and the Commission's rules and regulations. In
accordance with 10 CFR 54.29, ``Standards for Issuance of a Renewed
License,'' the NRC will issue a renewed license on the basis of its
review if it finds that actions have been identified and have been or
will be taken with respect to (1) managing the effects of aging during
the period of extended operation on the functionality of structures and
components that have been identified as requiring aging management
review, and (2) time-limited aging analyses that have been identified
as requiring review, such that there is reasonable assurance that the
activities authorized by the renewed license will continue to be
conducted in accordance with the current licensing basis (CLB), and
that any changes made to the plant's CLB comply with the Act and the
Commission's regulations.
Additionally, in accordance with 10 CFR 51.95(c), the NRC will
prepare an environmental impact statement that is a supplement to the
Commission's NUREG-1437, ``Generic Environmental Impact Statement for
License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants,'' dated May 1996. Pursuant to
10 CFR 51.26, and as part of the environmental scoping process, the
staff intends to hold a public scoping meeting. Detailed information
regarding this meeting will be the subject of a separate Federal
Register notice.
Within 60 days after the date of publication of this Federal
Register notice, the requestor/petitioner may file a request for a
hearing, and any person whose interest may be affected by this
proceeding and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding
must file a written request for a hearing and a petition for leave to
intervene with respect to the renewal of the license. Interested
parties must file requests for a hearing and a petition for leave to
intervene in accordance with 10 CFR Part 2, ``Rules of Practice for
Domestic Licensing Proceedings and Issuance of Orders.'' Those
interested should consult a current copy of 10 CFR 2.309, ``Hearing
Requests, Petitions to Intervene, Requirements for Standing and
Contentions,'' which is available at the Commission's Public Document
Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike,
Rockville, Maryland 20852, and is accessible from the Agencywide
Documents Access and Management System's (ADAMS) Public Electronic
Reading Room through the Internet at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. Persons who do not have access to the Internet or who
encounter problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should
contact the NRC's PDR reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209,
or 301-415-4737, or by e-mail at [email protected]. If a request for a
hearing or a petition for leave to intervene is filed within the 60-day
period, the Commission or a presiding officer designated by the
Commission or by the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board Panel will rule on the request and/or petition, and
the Secretary or the Chief Administrative Judge of the Atomic Safety
and Licensing Board will issue a notice of a hearing or an appropriate
order. If no request for a hearing or petition for leave to intervene
is filed within the 60-day period, the NRC may, upon completion of its
evaluations and upon making the findings required under 10 CFR Part 51
and 10 CFR Part 54, renew the license without further notice.
As required by 10 CFR 2.309, a petition for leave to intervene
shall set forth with particularity the interest of the petitioner in
the proceeding and how that interest may be affected by the results of
the proceeding, taking into consideration the limited scope of matters
that may be considered pursuant to 10 CFR Parts 51 and 54. The petition
must specifically explain the reasons why intervention should be
permitted with particular reference to (1) the nature of the requestor/
petitioner's right under the Act to be made a party to the proceeding,
(2) the nature and extent of the requestor/petitioner's property,
financial, or other interest in the proceeding, and (3) the possible
effect of any decision or order which may be entered in the proceeding
on the requestor/petitioner's interest. The petition must also set
forth the specific contentions that the petitioner/requestor seeks to
have litigated at the proceeding.
Each contention must consist of a specific statement of the issue
of law or fact to be raised or controverted. In addition, the
requestor/petitioner shall briefly explain the bases of each contention
and concisely state the alleged facts or the expert opinion that
supports the contention on which the requestor/petitioner intends to
rely in proving the contention at the hearing. The requestor/petitioner
must also provide references to those specific sources and documents of
which the requestor/petitioner is aware and on which the requestor/
petitioner intends to rely to establish those facts or expert opinion.
The requestor/petitioner must provide sufficient information to show
that a genuine dispute exists with the applicant on a material issue of
law or fact.\1\ Contentions shall be limited to matters within the
scope of the action under consideration. The contention must be one
that, if proven, would entitle the requestor/petitioner to relief. A
requestor/petitioner who fails to satisfy these requirements with
respect to at least one contention will not be permitted to participate
as a party.
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\1\ To the extent that the application contains attachments and
supporting documents that are not publicly available because they
are asserted to contain safeguards or proprietary information,
petitioners desiring access to this information should contact the
applicant or applicant's counsel to discuss the need for a
protective order.
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The Commission requests that each contention be given a separate
numeric or alphabetical designation within one of the following groups
(1) technical (primarily related to safety concerns), (2)
environmental, or (3) miscellaneous.
As specified in 10 CFR 2.309, if two or more requestors/petitioners
seek to co-sponsor a contention or propose substantially the same
contention, the requestors/petitioners must jointly designate a
representative who shall have the authority to act for the requestors/
petitioners with respect to that contention.
Those permitted to intervene become parties to the proceeding,
subject to any limitations in the order granting leave to intervene,
and have the opportunity to participate fully in the conduct of the
hearing. A request for a hearing or a petition for leave to intervene
must be filed by either (1) first class mail addressed to the Office of
the Secretary of the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
Washington, DC 20555-0001, Attention: Rulemaking and Adjudications
Staff, (2) courier, express mail, and expedited delivery services to
the Office of the Secretary, Sixteenth Floor, One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, Attention: Rulemaking
and Adjudications Staff, (3) e-mail addressed to the Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, [email protected],
or (4) facsimile transmission addressed to the Office of the Secretary,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff at 301-415-1101
[[Page 46682]]
(verification number is 301-415-1966).\2\ Requestors/petitioners must
send a copy of the request for hearing and petition for leave to
intervene to the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; copies should be transmitted
either by facsimile to 301-415-3725 or by e-mail to
[email protected]. Requestors/petitioners must also send a copy of
the request for hearing and petition for leave to intervene to the
attorney for the licensee, Mr. Stanford M. Blanton, Esquire, Balch &
Bingham LLP, P. O. Box 306, Birmingham, Alabama 35201.
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\2\ If the request/petition is filed by e-mail or facsimile, an
original and two copies of the document must be mailed within 2
(two) business days thereafter to the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; Attention:
Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff.
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Untimely requests and/or petitions and contentions will not be
entertained absent a determination by the Commission, the presiding
officer, or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board that the petition,
request, and/or contentions should be granted based on a balancing of
the factors specified in 10 CFR 2.309(a)(1)(i)-(viii).
Detailed information about the license renewal process can be found
under the Nuclear Reactors icon at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html on the NRC's Web site. Copies of the
application to renew the operating license for VEGP, Units 1 and 2 are
publicly available at the NRC's PDR, located at One White Flint North,
11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852, or from ADAMS. The
ADAMS Accession numbers for the LRA and the Environmental Report (ER)
are ML071840360 and ML071840357, respectively. The public may also view
the LRA and the ER on the Internet at www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html. In addition, the LRA and the ER
are available to the public near VEGP, Units 1 and 2, at the Burke
County Library, 130 Highway 24 South, Waynesboro, Georgia 30830.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 15th day of August 2007.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pao-Tsin Kuo,
Director, Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor
Regulation.
[FR Doc. E7-16467 Filed 8-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P