The members of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday rejected two petitions for hearings on the agency’s review of the license transfer application for the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey.
The four-member commission formalized its decision in a brief affirmation session prior to a longer meeting.
In a 21-page memorandum, the commission said Lacey Township had shown standing to intervene in the license transfer proceeding as it is the municipality in which the retired power plant is located. However, none of its three contentions met the NRC standards for admissibility, according to the commission order.
The Sierra Club of New Jersey did not demonstrate standing or file admissible contentions for an adjudicatory hearing, the commissioners stated. They added that the environmental organization had not made clear whether it was seeking a public hearing or an adjudicatory hearing.
“For the reasons outlined in this decision, we deny the Township’s request for hearing and petition to intervene, and we deny the Sierra Club’s request to the extent that it seeks an adjudicatory hearing on the license transfer application,” the order says. “We refer the Sierra Club’s letter to the Staff for consideration as comments on the license transfer and for action as the Staff may deem appropriate. Finally, we terminate this adjudicatory proceeding.”
Holtec and Oyster Creek owner Exelon filed their license transfer application in August 2018, the month before the Chicago-based power company permanently retired the boiling-water reactor plant. Once the deal closes, Holtec would assume ownership of all responsibilities for decommissioning at the plant, along with the trust fund for pay for the work.
Andrea Sterdis, vice president for regulatory and environmental affairs at Holtec Decommissioning International, said Monday the company expects the NRC to approve the license transfer within two weeks. It would close the sale within days, and believes it can complete decommissioning within eight years.
