NRC Renews Operating License for Monticello Nuclear Power Plant for 20 Years
November 27, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS
The Monticello plant is located 30 miles from Minneapolis, Minn. The licensee, Nuclear Management Co., submitted its license renewal application March 16, 2005. With the renewal, the license is extended until Sept. 8, 2030.
The NRC environmental review for this license renewal is described in a site-specific supplement to the NRC report Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Power Plants (NUREG-1437, Supplement 26), issued in September.
The review concluded there were no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons. Public meetings to discuss the environmental review were held on June 30, 2005 and March 22, 2006.
After reviewing the plant safety systems and specifications, the NRC concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal, because the licensee had demonstrated effectively the capability to manage the effects of plant aging.
The Safety Evaluation Report Related to the License Renewal of the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant (NUREG-1865) was published in October.
In addition, NRC conducted inspections of the plant to verify information submitted by the licensee. The reports relating to the Monticello renewal are available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/monticello.html.
On Sept. 19, the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards - an independent body of technical experts that advises the NRC - recommended that the operating license for Monticello be renewed. That recommendation is contained in Report on the Safety Aspects of the License Renewal Application for the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant. This document is available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acrs/letters/2006/.
The Monticello renewal brings the total number of renewals to 47 reactor units. A complete listing of renewal applications can be found on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal.html.