NRC: News Release - 2003-143 - NRC Renews License for Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant for an Additional 20 Years

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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No. 03-143

November 4, 2003

NRC RENEWS LICENSE FOR FORT CALHOUN
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FOR AN ADDITIONAL 20 YEARS
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating license of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant, located north of Omaha, Nebraska, for an additional 20 years. The plant is operated by the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD).

OPPD submitted its license renewal application to the NRC on January 11, 2002. With the renewal, the license for Fort Calhoun is extended from August 9, 2013, to August 9, 2033.

The NRC’s environmental review is described in a site-specific supplement to the NRC’s “Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants," (NUREG-1437, Supplement 12). In the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, issued in August 2003, the staff concluded that there were no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons. Two public meetings to discuss the environmental review were held near the plant on June 18, 2002, and February 26, 2003.

In its “Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of Ft. Calhoun Station, Unit 1,” issued in September 2003, 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/ft-calhoun.html.

On October 9 of this year, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards -- an independent body of technical experts which advises the Commission -- issued its recommendation that the operating license for Fort Calhoun be renewed. That recommendation is contained in "Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal Application for the Fort Calhoun Station, Unit 1." 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/2003/.

The Fort Calhoun license renewal brings the total number of renewals to 19 reactor units. 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.

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