The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s request to exempt the decommissioning facility from some emergency preparedness requirements, the NRC announced late last week. Southern California Edison, the plant operator, argued in its request that a decommissioning facility does not pose as large a threat as an operating one, and therefore, does not need as strict regulations. The NRC said in its announcement that the Staff findings agreed with SCE, reducing the requirement to only on-site. “Southern California Edison provided analyses to show the exemptions are warranted because when compared to an operating power reactor, the risk of an offsite radiological release is significantly lower and the types of possible accidents significantly fewer at a nuclear power reactor that haspermanently ceased operations and removed fuel from the reactor vessel,” the NRC said. “The NRC staff evaluated and confirmed these analyses and, based on the NRC staff’s evaluation and recommendation, the Commission approved the exemptions March 2.”
There had be concern from some stakeholders, including Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Ranking Member Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), on the safety case of allowing the reactor to reduce the emergency plan as well as the use of exemptions to alter the reactor license. The NRC has maintained that it only grants exemptions on a site-by-site basis following a thorough safety review. In an effort to better define the needs of a decommissioning reactor, the NRC charged its staff to begin a decommissioning rulemaking that would establish better-defined rules at shutdown sites.
Jobs