Washington (Platts)--16Feb2011/632 pm EST/2332 GMT
Commissioners with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission have approved procedures for mandatory hearings on applications to build and operate new nuclear power reactors, NRC said in a statement Wednesday. The NRC said the mandatory hearing process would begin after the staff completes its safety and environmental evaluations. Agency regulations for licensing new nuclear units in the Code of Federal Regulations -- 10 CFR Part 52 -- require "mandatory" hearings on applications for combined construction permit-operating licenses, or COLs, even if the application is not challenged. Some members of Congress and others have criticized the agency for this and other new-reactor review requirements, saying they could hobble a potential nuclear power revival in the US. NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a Platts Energy Podium event February 2 that some of the first COL reviews could "possibly" reach the mandatory hearing stage by the end of this year. The agency said "the Commission intends to issue a decision on the uncontested issues within four months of the issuance of these reports," unless a certification review of the reactor's design is still under way. The commission said in its December 23 staff requirements memorandum, released Wednesday, that "after gaining experience with conducting two mandatory hearings, the staff should revisit these mandatory hearing procedures to evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency, and suggest any changes to improve the mandatory hearing process." Thirteen COL applications are under active review at NRC, and two more applications are expected to be filed in fiscal 2012, James Dyer, the agency's CFO, said during a Monday conference call on the NRC budget request. --Steven Dolley, steven_dolley@platts.comSimilar stories appear in Nucleonics Week. See more information at http://bit.ly/NucleonicsWeek