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Zion Units 1 & 2

1.0 Site Identification

Location: Warrenville, IL
License No.: DPR-39 & DPR-48
Docket No.: 50-295 & 50-304
License Status: SAFSTOR
Project Manager: John Hickman

2.0 Site Status Summary

Zion Units 1 and 2 were permanently shut down on February 13, 1998. The fuel was transferred to the spent fuel pool, and the owner submitted the certification of fuel transfer on March 9, 1998. The licensee is maintaining the turbine-generators as synchronous condensers to support grid stability and has isolated the spent fuel pool within a fuel building "nuclear island." The plant has been placed in SAFSTOR, where it will remain until about 2013 when the decommissioning trust fund will be sufficient to conduct DECON activities. The owner submitted the PSDAR, site-specific cost estimate, and fuel management plant on February 14, 2000. The SAFSTOR approach is the intended decommissioning method to be utilized for Zion which involves removal of all radioactive material from the site following a period of dormancy. Preparations for decontamination and dismantlement are scheduled to commence at the original license expiration date for ZNPS Unit 2 on November 14, 2013. Final Site Survey and License Termination is currently planned for 2025 - 2026.

A brief history of major plant operations and licensing-related actions for ZNPS is as follows. Construction Permit issued, December 1968, Operating license issued April 6,1973, for Unit I and November 14, 1973, for Unit 2, Commercial operations achieved, December 1973 for Unit 1 and September 1974 for Unit 2, Final reactor operation, February 21,1997, for Unit 1 and September 19, 1996, for Unit 2, and All fuel removed from the reactor and placed in the spent fuel pool, April 27,1997, for Unit 1 and February 25, 1998, for Unit 2. On January 14,1998, the Unicom Corporation and ComEd Boards of Directors authorized the permanent cessation of operations at ZNPS for economic reasons. The cost and time it would take to repair the steam generators combined with the cost of electricity in a deregulated environment in Illinois made continuing operation of ZNPS uneconomical. In accordance with 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(i), ComEd certified in a letter dated February 13,1998, that operations have ceased at ZNPS. In accordance with 10 CFR 50.82(a)(1)(ii), ComEd certified in a letter dated March 9, 1998, that all fuel had been removed from the ZNPS reactor vessels and committed to maintain them permanently defueled. The NRC acknowledged the certification of permanent cessation of power operation and permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessels in a letter dated May 4, 1998. Pursuant to 10 CFR 50.82(a)(2), the 10 CFR 50 facility operating licenses for ZNPS no longer authorize operation of the reactors or emplacement or retention of fuel in the reactor vessels. Also, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.51(b), "Continuation of license," the facility operating licenses scheduled to expire on April 6, 2013, for Unit 1, and November 14, 2013, for Unit 2, continue to remain in effect until the NRC notifies ComEd that the licenses have been terminated.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

On January 25, 2008, Exelon, the Zion licensee, submitted a request for a license transfer. The proposal is to transfer the licensed ownership, management authorities, and decommissioning trust fund of the facility to Zion Solutions (ZS) a subsidiary of Energy Solutions. ZS was formed for the purpose of decommissioning the Zion site. The title to the site real estate and the spent nuclear fuel will remain with Exelon. ZS will construct and transfer the spent fuel to an ISFSI as part of the decommissioning. Following the decommissioning, currently scheduled for 10 years, the license for the spent fuel will be transferred back to Exelon. This proposal is expected to accelerate the schedule for decommissioning and to reduce the cost.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure

12/31/2026



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Monday, April 14, 2008