LACEY – Holtec International has chosen to postpone the submission of the Oyster Creek License Termination Plan (LTP) for an unspecified period following a recent assessment by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Patrick O’Brien, Holtec International’s Director of Government Affairs and Communications, said the decision stems from ongoing collaboration with the NRC during the LTP preparation process.
O’Brien explained that rather than submitting a final draft of the plan all at once, Holtec has been working closely with the NRC, providing them with drafts of each section for review and feedback. This approach is intended to ensure a smoother regulatory process.
Currently, Holtec is in the process of preparing the final section of the LTP, which will also undergo review by regulators. O’Brien emphasized that this incremental approach allows for changes based on regulator feedback, leading to a more efficient process overall.
“This method has given us the ability to make changes to our LTP in smaller increments, based on the suggestions and feedback of the regulators,” said O’Brien. “This process is actually more time-efficient and more productive, allowing us to work in close collaboration with our regulators.”
A 19-page document dated April 18, 2024, submitted to Jeffrey Dostal, Oyster Creek’s Site Vice President, outlines the findings of a pre-application readiness assessment of the drafted License Termination Plan (LTP) application for Oyster Creek.
According to a summary of the NRC’s recent assessment, Holtec needs to provide more details on several key areas. These include:
Land use and groundwater:
The plan needs to better explain why the land is unlikely to be used for homes or agriculture in the next 100 years. This is important because the cleanup standards will be different depending on how the land will be used in the future.
The plan also needs to provide more justification for eliminating groundwater as a potential pathway for radiation exposure. This includes considering if people nearby use well water for things like watering gardens, even if they don’t drink it.
Radiation dose calculations:
The plan relies on computer models to estimate radiation exposure, but the NRC says the models need to be more accurate. This includes using more site-specific data and considering a wider range of factors that could affect how radioactive materials move through the soil and groundwater.
The plan also needs to take into account the potential radiation exposure of workers who will be involved in decommissioning activities.
Other areas:
The plan makes assumptions about how deeply buried pipes and building foundations will be excavated during decommissioning. The NRC says these assumptions need to be justified based on how the land will be used in the future.
The plan also needs to clarify how it will address potential radiation exposure from residual radioactivity that is brought to the surface during excavation.
Notably, Holtec asked for the readiness assessment so that NRC staff could: (1) find any missing information in the draft LTP compared to what’s needed for the final application, as laid out in federal regulations, (2) spot any technical or rule-related problems that might make it hard for the NRC to accept or review the application, and (3) get to know the LTP better, especially in areas where Holtec is suggesting new ideas or different ways to decommission.
The post NRC: Ocean County Nuke Plant Cleanup Needs More Detail appeared first on Jersey Shore Online.
