Indian Point relicensing application incomplete, NRC says

Indian Point relicensing application incomplete, NRC says
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 21, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point's application to operate for an additional 20 years won't be accepted by federal regulators until the nuclear plant can provide more information about how it operates in the event of a power outage.
Specifically, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed yesterday that its relicensing staff wants Indian Point officials to detail their current backup generator system at Indian Point 2, which relies on natural gas to power safety systems until the nuclear reactor can be shut down.
The company's application, submitted April 30 to the NRC, included information on a diesel-powered system that the company hasn't installed yet.
"This doesn't happen that often, but there have been applications that we have turned back," said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. "This happens to be one that doesn't have all the information we need."
Indian Point 2's license would be extended 20 years to 2033 and Indian Point 3's to 2035 if the joint application is approved by the NRC in the next 22 to 30 months.
The NRC routinely accepts relicensing applications within 45-60 days of submission after a detailed review, so the company will need to move quickly to keep the process on track, Sheehan said.
Lawrence Gottlieb, a spokes-man for Entergy Nuclear Northeast, the plants' owner and operator, said he expected Entergy officials to respond quickly.
"We will be as diligent as we can in trying to accommodate the NRC's additional requests," Gottlieb said. He said he didn't have details on the company's plans to move to diesel-powered generators for Indian Point 2's backup power source.
Sheehan said Entergy can solve the application's shortcoming by providing information on what exists so the agency can evaluate how well it would function for an additional 20 years, or formally commit to installing the diesel system before a draft safety assessment of Indian Point 2 is completed, likely about a year from now.
Sheehan said the agency asked for a response within 14 days of receipt of the advisory letter, which was written Monday.
He said the delay will not affect the NRC's plans to hold two meetings on Wednesday to inform the public on the license-review process. The meetings will be held at 1:30 p.m and 7 p.m. at Colonial Terrace, a catering hall in Cortlandt.