nuclear-news

Need to change rules for Nuclear Regulatory Commission

If Seabrook waits 10 or 15 years to apply for its license renewal, something bad could happen to tarnish its image. Or a new technology might emerge that would make nuclear power look less attractive.

NRC rule change needed | SeacoastOnline.com, December 03, 2010 Why is Seabrook Station nuclear power plant seeking a 20-year extension of its license when its existing license doesn’t expire until 2030? The short answer is because it can.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules allow plants that have operated for 20 years to apply for an extension. Seabrook has been operating without any major safety incidents since 1990 and so they have asked for an extension.

For the plant’s owners, it’s just business. Why not apply now when nuclear power is having a renaissance and is generally seen favorably by the public? If Seabrook waits 10 or 15 years to apply for its license renewal, something bad could happen to tarnish its image. Or a new technology might emerge that would make nuclear power look less attractive. Or the political winds could shift.

We agree with those who argued it is ridiculous to renew Seabrook’s license 20 years before it expires. To our minds, a 10-year lead time would give a plant time to plan for its future.

Those who want to scale back the future of nuclear power in this country need to get the NRC to change its licensing rules. Of course, getting such a change could take a decade.

Really, it seems, the only thing for those opposed to the license renewal to do is work to delay everything.

But the cards are stacked in Seabrook’s favor and we expect they’ll get their license extension, whether it makes sense or not.

NRC rule change needed | SeacoastOnline.com

December 4, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA