More Detail Needed For Oyster Creek Cleanup Plan, NRC Says

LACEY, NJ — The submission of Oyster Creek's License Termination Plan (LTP) will be delayed after an assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided that the plan needed more detail.

Power plants like Oyster Creek must submit an LTP at least two years before the license determination date as part of the decommissioning process. When it is received by the NRC, it will be made available for public comment. But the submission of Oyster Creek's LTP is being delayed for an unknown amount of time.

Holtec International opted to delay the submission as Oyster Creek works closely with the NRC during the LTP preparation process, officials said. Holtec requested the readiness assessment for several reasons, including identifying information gaps between the draft LTP and federal requirements, identifying potential issues and becoming more familiar with the LTP, particularly in areas where Holtec is proposing new concepts.

"Instead of providing the NRC one final draft to the regulator, sight-unseen, we have been providing them with drafts of each individual section for their review and feedback, so that when the final LTP draft is completed in full and ready for review and approval, the regulatory process will be much smoother and more time-efficient," Holtec International Director of Government Affairs and Communications Patrick O'Brien told Patch.

This is unlike other power plants that are decommissioning, according to O'Brien.

"This method has given us the ability to make changes to our LTP in smaller increments, based on the suggestions and feedback of the regulators," he said. "This process is actually more time-efficient and more productive, allowing us to work in close collaboration with our regulators."

NRC staff completed a readiness assessment of the draft LTP on April 4 and shared the results in a 19-page letter to Jeffrey Dostal, Oyster Creek site vice president, dated April 18.

The assessment says that Oyster Creek needs to supply more details in several areas of the draft. Some of what the NRC wants are more detailed explanations on why the site should not be used for home building or gardening, why groundwater should be eliminated as a potential way of radiation exposure and more accurate estimates on radiation exposure.

It's not clear how long the submission will be delayed, but in a recent quarterly update to the Lacey Township Committee, Dostal said that the decommissioning was going well.

He also shared ideas for the future of the Oyster Creek site, including repurposing it. Read more: Oyster Creek Power Plant Could Become 'Green Energy Park'

Last year, the township, along with BRS, Inc., held a presentation outlining Lacey's economic future using Oyster Creek land. The goal is to attract and retain jobs and residents following the economic loss of the power plant. Read more: Post-Oyster Creek, Lacey Looks To Attract New Industries

Another one of these presentations is set for May 29. Learn more here.