"Our facility has delivered safe, clean, reliable and low-cost energy to Texans for more than 20 years," said Ed Halpin, President and CEO of STP Nuclear Operating Company
– Edited By Tom Lamar –
STP Nuclear Operating Company has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to extend the operating licenses of its two-unit facility an additional 20 years. The extension would allow the two units – with a combined capacity of 2,700 megawatts – to continue operating through 2047 and 2048, respectively.
"Our facility has delivered safe, clean, reliable and low-cost energy to Texans for more than 20 years," said Ed Halpin, President and CEO of STP Nuclear Operating Company. "With this application, our objective is to maintain that commitment for an additional two decades.
"The application represents more than two years of work by our team in partnership with our industry peers. It also represents our commitment to an ongoing plant investment program that keeps our facility in outstanding condition. Within the past decade, the company has replaced the reactor vessel heads, steam generators and low pressure turbines – as well as thousands of smaller plant components – in both units."
The 2,000-page application specifies STP's compliance with license renewal requirements for critical systems, structures and components that are needed to safely operate the plant. The document details how the company manages facility aging to ensure those plant elements will maintain their intended functions during extended operation.
The application was developed by an STP team working in partnership with an industry consortium, the Strategic Teaming And Resource Sharing alliance. STARS encompasses seven similar commercial facilities – Callaway, Comanche Peak, Diablo Canyon, Palo Verde, San Onofre, STP and Wolf Creek. Through participation in STARS, these facilities collaborate to achieve economies of scale in operations, maintenance and business functions. STARS established a facility specifically designed to support the license renewal applications of its member plants. STP is the fourth STARS plant to apply for license renewal.
The submittal begins an NRC review process that will last approximately two years and include multiple opportunities for community input and participation. The NRC will conduct audits and inspections at STP throughout 2011 and hold public meetings in Bay City. License renewal approval is anticipated in 2012.
"Public input and participation are critical components of the license renewal process," said Halpin. "We look forward to meeting with our neighbors in the local communities as we move through the application process in the coming months."
With approximately 1,200 employees, STP is the largest employer in Matagorda County. The company's employees are actively involved in their communities, serving on city councils, school boards, chambers, and numerous committees, groups and organizations.
"STP has been a positive force in our community for more than three decades," said Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald. "STP's employees are our friends and neighbors and they are actively engaged in our community, making a difference. In addition, the facility is an industry leader that safely and reliably produces clean energy for our state."
STP has led all two-unit nuclear plants in the nation in energy production the past six years. Earlier this month, the facility was honored as one of 12 companies – and the nation's first commercial nuclear facility – to be recognized as one of America's Safest Companies. The award was presented by EHS Today, a national publication dedicated to the management of risk in the workplace and environment.
"Safety is a core value of our company and the foundation of our business," Halpin emphasized. "We operate the units safely and reliably, each and every day, and will continue to do so in the decades ahead."
More than half of the commercial nuclear reactors nationwide – 59 of 104 – already have had their licenses renewed. Renewal applications for 42 more units are in NRC review or scheduled to be submitted by 2017, and applications for the remaining three units are expected after 2017.
Nuclear power plants are federally licensed to operate for 40 years and may apply for a 20-year renewal. The application can be submitted up to 20 years before the original license expires. STP is submitting its application now to facilitate the long-range planning of the plant's owners, who project their needs and budgets decades in advance, and to help ensure that the state will have the electrical generation needed to keep growing. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state's grid, estimates that Texas will need an additional 20,000 megawatts of generation within twenty years.