NRC Hearing on Indian Point Re-Starts Nov. 16

Three judges of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel will conduct an evidentiary hearing starting on Monday regarding three safety-related challenges to the Indian Point nuclear power plant’s license renewal application.

Entergy, which owns and operates the reactors in Buchanan, is seeking 20-year extensions of the operating licenses for Indian Point Units 2 and 3.

According to Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials:

The issues to be considered have been raised by New York State and Riverkeeper Inc.

The subjects include:

• Whether Entergy’s license renewal application is deficient because it fails to include an adequate aging management program for embrittlement of the reactor pressure vessels and the associated internals;
• Whether the application is deficient because it fails to include an adequate aging management program for metal fatigue on key reactor components; and
• Whether the application is deficient because the company fails to demonstrate that it has a program that will manage the effects of aging of several critical components or systems.

During the evidentiary hearing, there will be testimony by expert witnesses representing the challengers, Entergy and the NRC staff.

The ASLBP will rule on the issues at a later date.

This proceeding will differ from a typical court proceeding in that the parties have pre-filed their direct testimony and exhibits. Specifically, the hearing will be a forum in which the judges will ask questions of the parties’ witnesses in order to clarify the testimony and exhibits they have already reviewed.

All members of the public will be screened by security prior to being granted entry into the hearing room. Accordingly, in order to facilitate entry, individuals wishing to attend the hearing are urged not to bring unnecessary items to the proceeding.

The ASLB panel previously conducted a hearing at the same location in the fall of 2012 on safety and environmental contentions identified as “Track 1” issues. The hearing scheduled to begin on Nov. 16 will involve safety contentions identified as “Track 2” issues that were not dealt with during that earlier proceeding.

The hearing will take place at the DoubleTree Hotel, at 455 South Broadway in Tarrytown. It will begin at noon on Nov. 16, with the start time for the subsequent days to be announced then and there.

Entergy submitted its application for a 20-year extension of the Indian Point operating license in 2007.

The initial 40-year operating license for Indian Point Unit 3 is set to expire Dec. 12, while Indian Point Unit 2’s license expired in 2013.

However, those licenses remain in effect until the Commission has issued a final ruling on the renewal application.

RELATED

• Tarrytown Hearings on Indian Point to Resume
• NRC Finds Environmental Impacts of Indian Point Minimal
• Indian Point’s Relicensing Turns on Contested Water Use Permit
• NRC Suspends Relicensing Decisions
• Indian Point Opponents, Supporters Speak--and Sing--at Safety Hearing
• Entergy to Close Nuclear Plant in Central NY

PHOTO: 2012 NRC hearing at the Doubletree in Tarrytown