The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is weighing a request from the Omaha Public Power District that would exempt the utility from certain emergency planning requirements for the recently-retired Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska.
The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) says now that Fort Calhoun is permanently shut down and defueled it poses less risk and should be granted exemptions from maintaining formal offsite radiological emergency plans, according to a Federal Register notice published Monday.
OPPD also wants to reduce certain on-site emergency planning work. OPPD would keep certain onsite capabilities to coordinate with offsite authorities, in the event of an emergency at the site. Fort Calhoun was retired in October 2016 and was defueled the following month.
The Federal Register notice also indicates that NRC staff has issued an environmental assessment that concludes the exemptions would cause no significant risk. The NRC Commission gave its blessing to the NRC staff’s recommendation to grant the exemptions as outlined in Staff Requirements Memorandum (SRM) to SECY-17-0080, dated Oct. 25.
NRC expects to publish a proposed rule in 2018 that could reduce the need for nuclear operators to seek exemptions for reactors that are entering decommissioning.
OPPD is using a SAFSTOR (safe storage) plan at Fort Calhoun. As of Oct. 31, OPPD’s decommissioning fund balances for Fort Calhoun stood at $427.8 million, OPPD spokesperson Cris Averett said Monday in an email.
SAFSTOR enables operators to delay full decommissioning for up to 60 years while radioactivity levels drop and more funds are accumulated for cleanup.
