NRC TO DISCUSS REVIEW OF LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION
FOR THREE MILE ISLAND 1 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct two public meetings in the vicinity of the Three Mile Island 1 nuclear power plant on Tuesday, March 4, to discuss the agency’s review process for a proposed 20-year extension of the facility’s current 40-year operating license.  AmerGen Energy Co., LLC, owns and operates the plant, which is located in Middletown (Dauphin County), Pa.

At 1:30 p.m. that day, the NRC staff will hold a meeting at the Elks Theatre, at 4 W. Emaus St. in Middletown.  Another meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Londonderry Elementary School, at 260 Schoolhouse Road in Middletown.

Both sessions will begin with NRC staff presentations on the overall license renewal review process, which includes safety and environmental assessments.  The staff will also discuss the multiple opportunities available for members of the public to participate in the process.  Following those presentations, audience members will be able to ask questions and offer comments on issues related to the review of the plant’s application.

The NRC staff will also host an “open house” starting 1 hour before each meeting to provide interested citizens with the opportunity to talk informally with agency staff.

“This will be the first of several meetings we will hold near the plant to explain the nature of our reviews and hear from members of the public about any concerns they might have,” said Louise Lund, a Branch Chief in the NRC’s Division of License Renewal.  “We look forward to this chance to discuss our review program and receive their input.”

AmerGen submitted a license renewal application for Three Mile Island 1 to the NRC on Jan. 8, 2008.  The application is available on the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/three-mile-island.html .  It is also available for review at the NRC’s Public Document Room in Rockville, Md., which can be reached by phone at 1-800-397-4209 or by e-mail at pdr@nrc.gov, and at the following public libraries: Middletown Public Library, 20 N. Catherine St., Middletown; and the Penn State Harrisburg Library, 351 Olmstead Drive, Middletown.

The NRC staff is currently reviewing AmerGen’s application to determine whether it contains enough information to begin a formal review.  If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally docket, or file, the application and will announce an opportunity to request a hearing.

Under NRC regulations, the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years.  This license term was selected on the basis of economic and anti-trust considerations, not technical limitations.  The license may be renewed for up to an additional 20 years if NRC requirements are met.  The current operating license for Three Mile Island 1 is due to expire on April 19, 2014.

This application does not involve the adjoining Three Mile Island 2 reactor, where a severe accident occurred in 1979.  That unit has been out of service since the event.  It has been defueled and decontaminated to the extent that the plant is in a safe, stable condition suitable for long-term monitoring.  Three Mile Island 1 was not affected by the accident and has had a safe operating record for many years.

Additional information on the license renewal process is available on the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/license-renewal-bg.html and http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.

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Tuesday, April 08, 2008