Thursday, September 12, 2024

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Unit 1 – Authorized Alternative To Requirements Of The American Society Of Mechanical Engineers Boiler And Pressure Vessel Code (EPID L 2024 LLR 0028)

SUBJECT:  Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Unit 1 – Authorized Alternative To Requirements Of The American Society Of Mechanical Engineers Boiler And Pressure Vessel Code (EPID L 2024 LLR 0028)

ADAMS Accession No. ML24233A219
Using Web-based ADAMS, select “Advanced Search”
Under “Property,” select “Accession Number”
Under “Value,” enter the Accession Number
Click Search

(9/11/24)

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

NRC Begins Special Inspection at South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: IV-24-014 September 9, 2024
Contact: Victor Dricks, 817-200-1128

NRC Begins Special Inspection at South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in response to two recent events there. The first occurred May 12 when a transformer that supplies offsite power to the station shut down unexpectedly, causing an unplanned shutdown of Unit 2. The second event occurred July 24 when a fire in an electrical switchyard at the site caused an unplanned shutdown of Unit 1.

During each event, there were unexpected safety equipment issues that the NRC will review. “While these events didn’t present a threat to public health and safety, we want to conduct a thorough review of the circumstances that led to these unplanned shutdowns,” said Region IV Administrator John Monninger. “We will review the company’s actions in response to these events and determine whether appropriate steps are being taken to address equipment issues.”

During both events, NRC resident inspectors, permanently stationed at the plant, independently monitored plant conditions, reviewed the company’s initial corrective actions, and monitored the plant’s restart several days later.

An inspection report will be issued about 45 days after the inspection is completed and will be available on the NRC website.

Friday, September 6, 2024

Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Units 2 and 3 - Reissued Integrated Inspection Report 05000277/2024002 and 05000278/2024002

PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 – REISSUED
INTEGRATED INSPECTION REPORT 05000277/2024002 AND 05000278/2024002

ADAMS Accession No. ML24227A549

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application

Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 24-068 September 3, 2024
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC Finds No Significant Environmental Impacts for Hermes 2 Test Reactor Facility Construction Permit Application

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for Kairos Power’s application for construction permits to build the dual unit Hermes 2 test reactor project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Concurrently, the agency issued exemptions for Hermes 2 from NRC regulations that require an environmental impact statement to support construction permits for test facilities. The site was previously evaluated with an environmental impact statement for the Hermes 1 test reactor, which the staff believed was sufficient to support the exemption. The environmental assessment considered potential impacts of aspects unique to the Hermes 2 project.

The staff will provide the Hermes 2 environmental assessment and its safety evaluation of the project to the Commission for the final phase of the licensing process. The Commission will determine if the staff’s review supports the findings necessary to issue the permits and vote on whether to authorize their issuance.

The proposed Hermes 2 project would be two fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactors. Kairos Power submitted its application for construction permits in July 2023. The company will need to submit a separate application for Hermes 2 operating licenses in the future.

Saturday, August 31, 2024

TMI Unit 2 Historic and Cultural License Amendment 68

Docketed this morning - zip of three
Document Title:Three Mile Island, Unit 2 Historic and Cultural License Amendment 68
Document Type:
Document Date:
 

[decomm_wkg] 9/3/24 Higher Burnup; 9/5/24 NEI Security Plan; 9/11/24 Alternative Security

NEI Security Plan partially closed meeting 9/5/2024


Document Title:20240905 NRC Staff Review of Proposed Changes in NEI 03-12, Revision 8, Security Plan Template No Notes Meeting Slides
Document Type:Meeting Briefing Package/Handouts
Slides and Viewgraphs
Document Date:09/05/2024
09/05/24
9:00AM -
11:00AM ET
Meeting info
The purpose of this meeting is for the NRC staff to provide initial feedback to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) regarding proposed changes in Revision 8 to NEI 03-12, Security Plan Template. [more...]

Participation: Partially Closed

 Teleconference
TeleconferenceJesse Rollins
(817) 200-1431

Justin Vazquez
(301) 415-0530

Security Check - Phone it in - Push for Remote Security - 9/11/2024

Document Title:09/11/2024 Alternative Physical Security Requirements for Advanced Reactors Rulemaking: Public Comment Period
Document Type:Meeting Notice
Meeting Agenda
Document Date:08/27/2024
09/11/24
1:00PM -
4:00PM ET
Meeting info
The purpose of this meeting is to present the published proposed rule alternative physical security requirements for advanced reactors (non-light water reactors and small modular reactors). This meeting will also allow an opportunity for stakeholders to ask clarification questions to help understand the proposed rule and to develop any public comments. [more...]

Participation: Information with Q&A

 Teleconference
WebinarDennis Andrukat
(301) 415-3561
N2
MJK

New York cannot afford nuclear power and must not slow down its Climate Act

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/york-cannot-afford-nuclear-power-095039411.html/

Utility Dive

New York cannot afford nuclear power and must not slow down its Climate Act


​​​​​​​Utility Dive· FernandoAH via Getty Images

Raya Salter4 min read

This story was originally published on Utility Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Utility Dive newsletter.

Raya Salter is the founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center and a member of the New York State Climate Action Council and the New York Public Service Commission Energy Policy Planning Advisory Council.

Last month, a troubling report penned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority acknowledged that New York is not on track to meet the ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in our 2019 Climate Act. If this were not bad enough, influential decision-makers and industry players have been calling for New York to weaken it. They want to expand allowable generation sources beyond renewables, and entertain “low-carbon and carbon-free alternatives,” including nuclear power. On September 4-5, the governor’s administration is hosting a Future Energy and Economy Summit at which two of the five panels featured will be speaking about the future of nuclear energy in New York. 

We need to be clear: nuclear power is neither a climate solution nor a clean energy solution. It is an expensive, toxic, and dangerous distraction that will only impede New York's progress toward its climate goals. New York needs look no further than the Vogtle reactors in Georgia or the canceled NuScale reactors in Utah. The Vogtle project took 16 years to complete its first reactor and cost more than twice its initial estimate. Costs for the NuScale project doubled before construction even began; eight years after it was first proposed, the project had neither broken ground nor received a single permit

Of course, New York has its own nuclear cautionary tale: the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant on Long Island. Promised as a pathway to energy independence in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Shoreham became a financial disaster. The project's cost soared from an initial $75 million estimate to over $6 billion. Due to local opposition, regulatory challenges and safety concerns, the plant was decommissioned before it could provide any commercial power. Long Island ratepayers are still paying Shoreham’s debt. Shoreham’s story is a stark reminder that nuclear projects often come with insurmountable economic and social costs.

Our Climate Act was hard won and a highly supported piece of legislation that led the nation on climate and environmental justice. Our agencies and regulators must follow, and not erode, its protections for frontline communities. Nuclear does the opposite. New York’s existing reactors, their radioactive waste and waste spills, continue to pose a threat to communities who live where nuclear operations, dumping and transport occur. There is no permanent solution to waste that will remain radioactive for thousands of years. Peer-reviewed studies examining these impacts on surrounding communities have identified a number of grave environmental harms and public health risks. Many of these risks disproportionately impact Indigenous communities and other communities of color in the U.S. and worldwide. 

Proponents of “advanced” nuclear technologies argue that they offer something new. However, these technologies, including small modular reactors, are based on old concepts that previously failed due to safety, waste management and economic challenges. Claims that these reactors will provide cheaper, safer and faster nuclear energy remain unproven, echoing the same empty promises that led to past failures. 

Including nuclear power in New York’s transmission policy planning would also be misguided. Nuclear energy does not align with the goals of a flexible, renewable-driven grid. Relying on nuclear would distract from building infrastructure to support truly renewable sources like wind and solar, which are becoming increasingly cost-effective and reliable. Nuclear power would lock us into a centralized, high-risk generation model that doesn't fit the decentralized nature of modern clean energy systems.

There is a lot of promise for our climate goals despite the gloomy projection. Our state is leading the way in piloting new, clean, efficient and at-scale heating and cooling technologies like utility thermal energy networks. More New Yorkers than ever are interested in and learning about green technologies and the jobs that come with them. We don’t need scenario planning that promises nuclear power on a mythical timeline towards a slower, less ambitious goal. What we need is for New York to meet its climate challenges with urgency and, acting in the public interest, reject false solutions like nuclear power.