REFORM, Mo. - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced today the renewal of the operating license for Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center (CEC), which generates electricity for about 1.2 million customers in the state.
The NRC's renewal authorizes the nuclear facility to operate for an additional 20 years - through fall 2044. The Callaway plant had initially expected to hear a decision regarding its license renewal request in December. However, contentions filed by the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) put the decision on hold. Those contentions are still pending before the commission, according to Dave McIntyre with the NRC.
The environmental group, according to its petition to intervene filed in December, wants the CEC to continue operating under its original license, which expires in 2024, until the U.S. Court of Appeals makes a ruling on a recent lawsuit that questions the "legal adequacy" of the NRC's recently revised and renamed Continued Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel Rule.
The rule, which addresses how spent nuclear fuel is stored, became effective in October. Prior to October, the NRC was on a two-year long hiatus from issuing nuclear facilities across the country new licenses as well as license renewals. MCE, along with other states, joined the lawsuit after the new rule was made effective in the fall.
Ed Smith, with MCE, said he expects the U.S. Court of Appeals to have a decision regarding that suit by the end of the summer. MCE, he said, believes the NRC should wait to issue licenses and license extensions until after the court makes a ruling on the new continued storage rule. Furthermore, since the CEC's original operating license doesn't expire for another decade, Smith said he doesn't see a rush to renew it now, before the court makes a final ruling.
Smith said that should the commission's final ruling on the group's contentions allow the plant to continue operating under its new license extension, MCE will appeal the decision. If the renewed license is set aside on appeal, the Callaway plant would revert back to its original operating license.
Smith previously told the Fulton Sun that MCE's contention was, "filed as a placeholder" and emphasized that the environmental group does not seek for the NRC to deny the nuclear plant's request for an operating license extension.
According to NRC documents, NRC staff has argued that the environmental group's request to intervene in the Callaway plant's license renewal should be denied. In NRC staff's answer to MCE's petition, it stated that "MCE's petition to intervene impermissibly challenges a Commission rule and thus raises an issue beyond the scope of this proceeding (the Callaway nuclear facility's license renewal)." Smith previously told the Fulton Sun that MCE disagrees and believes their contention is within the scope.
License renewal process
The Callaway plant submitted its application for license renewal in December 2011. There are two parts to the plant's application - technical portion and an environmental portion.
For the technical portion, the plant evaluated every piece of equipment on its property to determine how the equipment would age over time. They also have to ensure that programs are in place at the plant to monitor the equipment's aging.
For the environmental portion, Ameren Missouri puts together documentation that includes the plant's impact on the local environment and economy. They also reviewed alternative means for producing power and provided both of those documents to the NRC.
"Once the NRC staff completed comprehensive environmental and safety reviews, it concluded Ameren met all the requirements for license renewal," according to an NRC press release.
NRC staff requested authorization to renew the license on Feb. 3 and the commission granted them authorization to do so on March 4.