The decision to renew the licenses comes after thorough safety and environmental reviews of the application submitted August 27, 2007, by the plant’s operator, FENOC.
The Beaver Valley plants are two pressurized-water nuclear reactors located 17 miles west of McCandless, Pennsylvania. The NRC held public meetings near the plant on Nov. 27, 2007, and Oct. 30, 2008, to discuss NRC’s environmental review of Beaver Valley. In May 2009, NRC staff concluded there were no environmental impacts that would preclude renewal of the license for environmental reasons.
In June 2009, after careful review of the plants’ safety systems and specifications, the staff concluded that there were no safety concerns that would preclude license renewal and that the applicant had effectively demonstrated the capability to manage the effects of plant aging. In addition, NRC conducted inspections of the plant to verify information submitted by the applicant. On September 16, 2009 the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards – an independent body of technical experts that advises the Commission – issued its recommendation that license renewal for Beaver Valley should be approved.
