United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) commissioners have begun to cast their votes regarding the Callaway Energy Center's license renewal application.
Typically, the director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) can issue license renewals. However, since the Callaway nuclear plant's license renewal was contested, the commission must authorize the director of the NRR to issue the license renewal.
Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center,which generates electricity for about 1.2 million in the state, asked the NRC for a 20-year license extension. The nuclear facility's current operating license is set to expire in 2024.
The Callaway plant originally expected to have an NRC decision on its license renewal in December. That was delayed after the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) filed a petition with the NRC requesting intervention in the license renewal process for Callaway Energy Center.
The environmental group, according to its petition, wants the NRC to put the nuclear facility's license extension decision on hold because MCE questions the "legal adequacy" of the NRC's recently revised and renamed Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rule. This rule addresses how spent nuclear fuel is stored and became effective in October.
Prior to October, the NRC was on a two-year long hiatus from issuing nuclear facilities across the country new licenses as well as license renewals.
Early last week, NRC Executive Director for Operations Mark Satorius sent the commission a paper with the results of NRC staff's review of the Callaway plant's license renewal application. Furthermore, he requested permission to renew the operating license for the Callaway Energy Center.
The paper to the commission stated the following in its conclusion: "Based on a review of the Callaway license renewal application submitted by Ameren Missouri, the staff finds that there is sufficient basis to support the option of license renewal from an environmental perspective."
If the NRC commissioners grant the Callaway plant its license renewal, Ed Smith with MCE previously told the Fulton Sun the environmental group will appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
According to the paper sent to the commission last week, "If a renewed license is subsequently set aside on appeal, the previous operating license would be reinstated. For Callaway, this would mean reverting to the current license, which is effective until Oct. 18, 2024."
As of Saturday, Commissioner Kristine L. Svinicki was the only member of the commission to vote so far. She voted to approve the Callaway plant's license renewal request on Feb. 5.
Dave McIntyre, NRC public affairs officer, said there is no set timetable or deadline for the commission to complete voting.
Currently, there are four members of the commission, which leads the NRC. The commission has space for five members - four commissioners and one chairman - all of whom are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate for five-year terms. The president also designates which member serves as chairman and acts as the commission's official spokesperson.
Steps toward nuclear facility license renewal
Callaway Energy Center, which first opened in 1984, submitted its application for a license renewal in December 2011. Sarah Kovaleski, director of engineering design, previously told the Fulton Sun that the Callaway plant spent about three years preparing its application for license renewal prior to submitting it.
There are two parts to the plant's application - a technical portion and an environmental portion. The technical portion required the nuclear facility to evaluate its equipment and to ensure programs are in place to monitor the equipment's aging. For the environmental portion, Ameren Missouri submitted documentation which discussed the plant's impact on the local environment and economy. Additionally, the plant reviewed alternative means for producing power and included its findings in its application to the NRC.
The NRC hosted public meetings last year to discuss the nuclear facility's environmental impact statement. Public comments made during those meetings were added to the NRC's list of considerations to keep in mind when making a decision about the plant's license renewal request.
Lara Uselding with the NRC previously told the Fulton Sun that schedule changes in the nuclear plant license renewal process due to public contentions is not unusual. NRC staff also needed commission permission to renew licenses for the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in April 2009 and for Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in March 2011.