ROCKVILLE, MD — A key advisory panel to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) threw out a citizen group's final challenge
to Entergy's application to boost power at Vermont Yankee an
additional 20 percent.
The ruling, issued Feb. 26, essentially closes the door on
further federal review of the uprate, which won formal approval
in March of 2006 and began shortly thereafter, unless the New
England Coalition (NEC) raises additional money and appeals the
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board's (ASLB) decision to the
full NRC.
The NEC had two of its initial six contentions approved for
review by the ASLB, one on the stability of a cooling tower
during an emergency, and the other on whether the plant should
undergo a full transient test before boosting power. They argued
that such a test was needed to ensure that key plant components
would operate safely while pumping out additional power.
While this ruling is likely the end of the road on the federal
side, the NEC still has challenges to the uprate before the
Vermont Public Service Board and the Vermont Supreme Court. The
court held a hearing last week on the appeal.
