NRC: News Release - 2005-082 - NRC Ends License for Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, Releases Site for Unrestricted Use

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001	E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
www.nrc.gov

No. 05-082

May 23, 2005

NRC ENDS LICENSE FOR TROJAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT,
RELEASES SITE FOR UNRESTRICTED USE
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted the request of Portland General Electric (PGE) to terminate its license for the Trojan nuclear power plant, which closed permanently in November 1992, and has released for unrestricted use the area where the plant formerly operated. The facility was located in Columbia County, Ore., about 42 miles north of Portland.

PGE’s NRC license to store spent fuel removed from the reactor at an independent installation on another portion of the site will remain in effect and is not affected by this action.

Trojan began commercial operations in May 1976, with a net electrical output rating of 1130 megawatts electric. After PGE decided to cease operation of the reactor permanently, it conducted cleanup and decommissioning activities in accordance with its NRC-approved license termination plan from February 2001 to December 2004. The NRC offered the public an opportunity for a hearing on the plan, but no request was filed. Decommissioning activities included dismantlement of the reactor and decontamination. The reactor vessel, which represented most of the remaining radioactive material, except for the spent fuel, was removed from the site in 1999.

In December 2004, PGE submitted an application for termination of its license, indicating that it has completed radiological decommissioning and that final radiation surveys of the site show that it meets NRC criteria for decommissioning and release for unrestricted use.

NRC conducted a number of on-site inspections of the licensee’s actions during the decommissioning process to verify that decommissioning and cleanup were being conducted as described in the license termination plan and to evaluate the quality of this activity. The agency also conducted independent measurements to verify the company’s final radiation surveys. NRC has concluded that (1) dismantlement and decontamination activities were performed in accordance with the approved license termination plan and (2) the final radiation surveys and associated documentation demonstrate the facility and site have met the criteria for decommissioning in Part 20 of the Commission’s regulations. Therefore, the license has been terminated.