NRC: News Release - Region III - 2009-003 - NRC to Discuss Results of License Renewal Inspection for Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant


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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region III
2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532
www.nrc.gov

No. III-09-003		February 11, 2009
CONTACT:	Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663	E-mail: OPA3.RegionIII@nrc.gov
NRC TO DISCUSS RESULTS OF LICENSE RENEWAL INSPECTION FOR PRAIRIE ISLAND NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the results of an inspection of the proposed aging-management approach for the Prairie Island nuclear power plant on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at a meeting with the facility’s management. The plant is located in Welch, Min., and is operated by Northern States Power Company. The plant has applied for a 20-year license extension for each of the two units at the site. The inspection is part of an ongoing review of the application. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Training Center Auditorium, at 1717 Wakonade Dr. East in Welch, Min. After a discussion of the inspection results, NRC staff will be available to respond to questions or comments regarding the review. Under NRC regulations the original operating license for a nuclear power plant has a term of 40 years. The utility may apply to renew those licenses for an additional two decades, provided agency requirements are met. Northern States Power Company applied on April 15, 2008 to renew the licenses for the Prairie Island Unit 1 and Unit 2 reactors. If approved, the expiration date for Prairie Island Unit 1 would be extended to Aug. 9, 2033; for Prairie Island Unit 2, the license would be extended to Oct. 29, 2034. An important aspect of the NRC license renewal review process is to ensure that a plant manages the effects of aging on key safety systems, structures and components through thorough monitoring and maintenance programs. At the meeting on Feb. 18, NRC staff will discuss what it found when it inspected the aging management programs proposed in the Prairie Island application. A copy of the Prairie Island license renewal application is available via the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/prairie-island.html. Additional information on the NRC’s license renewal review process is available at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.
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