NRC: News Release - 2006-003 - NRC Releases Draft Order for Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant to Install Back-Up Power for its Emergency Notification System

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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
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No. 06-003

January 5, 2006

NRC RELEASES DRAFT ORDER FOR INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO INSTALL BACK-UP POWER FOR ITS EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today provided to Entergy Corp. a draft confirmatory order that would require Entergy to install back-up power to the emergency notification system at its Indian Point nuclear power facility, 25 miles north of New York City. The NRC’s proposed action would implement the direction by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The act included a provision directing the NRC to require nuclear power plants located within certain population densities to have back-up power for their emergency notification systems, including sirens. The Indian Point nuclear power plant was the only plant that fell within the requirement.

The confirmatory order process is being used in this instance to expedite implementation of the mandatory statutory provisions. As part of the process of determining the licensee’s advance agreement to the specific conditions of a confirmatory order, the licensee waives the right to request a hearing on the final confirmatory order’s provisions. This draft confirmatory order is being provided to Entergy as part of the process of assuring a joint understanding of the implementation requirements for the Energy Policy Act’s emergency notification system directives as reflected in the order’s specific provisions.

Entergy is asked to respond to the draft order to indicate whether there are any comments on the order’s specific provisions before it is issued in final form.

The NRC requires commercial nuclear power plants to have an Alert and Notification System within the 10-mile emergency planning zone surrounding each plant. The system alerts the public that an event has occurred and that they should listen to the emergency broadcast stations in their area for information and instructions.

The confirmatory order, once issued, will require the Indian Point plant to install back-up power for its entire alert and notification system, ranging from activation command to the actual alert devices, including sirens, receivers, transmitters and sensors. The NRC will require the back-up system to be operational in standby mode for a minimum of 24 hours and 15 minutes in alert mode following a loss of power. Other specifics in the order designate testing requirements and other standards.

The order is expected to be issued by Jan. 31, 2006. The complete order will be available through the NRC’s Agency wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML053530286. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC’s Web site, at www.nrc.gov.