NRC: News Release - 2003-033 - NRC Renews Licenses for North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2, and Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2, For an Additional 20 Years

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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No. 03-033

March 20, 2003

NRC RENEWS LICENSES FOR NORTH ANNA POWER STATION,
UNITS 1 AND 2, AND SURRY POWER STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2,
FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 YEARS
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licenses of the North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2, located approximately 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia, and the Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2, located approximately 17 miles northwest of Newport News, Virginia. Both sets of licenses have been renewed for an additional 20 years. The plants are operated by Virginia Electric and Power Company.

Virginia Electric and Power Company submitted two applications to the NRC on May 29, 2001, to renew the licenses. The licenses for North Anna Units 1 and 2 expire on April 1, 2018, and August 21, 2020, respectively. The licenses for Surry Units 1 and 2 expire on May 25, 2012, and January 29, 2013, respectively.

The NRC’s environmental review is described in two site-specific supplements to the NRC’s “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants," (NUREG-1437, Supplements 6 and 7). In the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, issued in November 2002, the staff concluded that there were no impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons. Two public meetings were held in Mineral, Virginia, on May 29, 2002, and two meetings were held in Glen Allen, Virginia, on June 25, 2002.

In its “Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of North Anna Power Station, Units 1 and 2, and Surry Power Station, Units 1 and 2,” NUREG-1766, issued in December 2002, the NRC staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the licensee had demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging. In addition, the NRC conducted inspections of the plants to verify information submitted by the licensee. Copies of these documents are available on the NRC Web site at this address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/northanna-surry.html

On December 18, 2002, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards -- an independent body of technical experts which advises the Commission -- issued its recommendation that the operating licenses for North Anna, Units 1 and 2, and Surry, Units 1 and 2, be renewed. That recommendation is contained in "Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal Applications for the North Anna Power Station Units 1 and 2 and the Surry Power Station Units 1 and 2." A copy of this document is available on the NRC Web site at this address:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/letters/2002/4982015.html

A complete listing of completed renewal applications, as well as those currently under review, can be found on the NRC’s Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications.html.

NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.