Indian Point - Unit 1

1.0 Site Identification

Type of Site:	Power Reactor Facility
Location:	Buchanan, NY
License No.:	DPR-5
Docket No.:	50-3
License Status:	DECON
Project Manager:	Karl Sturzebecher

2.0 Site Status Summary

Indian Point Unit 1 (IP-1) was shut down in October 1974. Some decommissioning work associated with spent fuel storage was performed from 1974 through 1978. The NRC order approving SAFSTOR was issued in January 1996. A PSDAR public meeting was held on January 20, 1999. IP-1 spent fuel is in dry storage at the Indian Point Energy Center ISFSI in 5 casks.

IP-1 operated commercially from August 1962 until October 31, 1974. The plant was shut down because the emergency core cooling system did not meet regulatory requirements. By January 1976, all spent fuel was removed from the reactor vessel.

Holtec Decommissioning International ,HDI, submitted a Post Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) including Site-Specific Decommissioning Cost Estimate For Indian Point Nuclear Generating Units 1, 2, and 3 on December 19, 2019 (ADAMS Accession No. ML19354A698).

Since then, HDI on behalf of Holtec Indian Point 2, LLC, and Holtec Indian Point 3, LLC, has requested exemptions from certain emergency preparedness and planning (EP) requirements of 10 CFR Part 50, “Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities.” HDI’s proposed exemptions would scale the NRC’s EP requirements for the site to a level commensurate with the permanent cessation of operations and permanent removal of fuel from the reactor vessels of Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (IP1, IP2, and IP3) collectively, Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC).

• IPEC Emergency Planning Exemption – This would allow HDI to reduce IPEC emergency planning requirements consistent with the permanently shutdown and defueled condition of Indian Point 1 (IP1), Indian Point 2 (IP2), and Indian Point 3 (IP3).
  • Original - 12/22/2021 - ML21356B693​
  • Revised - 2/1/2022 - ML22033A348
  • Supplement - 2/1/2022 - ML22032A017
• IPEC PDEP and EALS License Amendment - The proposed changes would revise the IPEC Emergency Plan and Emergency Action Level (EAL) scheme to support the permanent cessation of power operations and permanent removal of fuel from the IPEC reactor vessels. In addition, this request contains the proposed IPEC Permanently Defueled Emergency Plan (PDEP) and the Permanently Defueled EAL scheme for NRC review and approval.
  • Original - 12/22/2021 - ML21356B704
  • Revised - 2/4/2022 - ML22035A121
• Exemption from 10 CFR 50.54(w)(1) - A request for exemption from 10 CFR 50.54(w)(1) to reduce the IPEC minimum onsite insurance coverage to $50 million.
  • 3/18/2022 - ML22077A132
• Exemption from 10 CFR 140.11(a)(4) – A request for an exemption from 10 CFR 140.11(a)(4) for IPEC to reduce the required level of primary offsite liability insurance to $100,000,000 and eliminate the requirement to carry secondary financial protection for IPEC.
  • 3/25/2022 - ML22084A103
• LAR - Revise License Condition to Eliminate Cyber Security Plan Requirements
  • 3/25/2022 - ML22140A126

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Low levels of groundwater contamination have been identified as originating at IP-1. The primary radionuclides involved are Sr-90 and tritium, and they appeared to be leaking from the spent fuel building. Entergy has moved IP-1 spent fuel to dry storage, has drained and cleaned the IP-1 spent fuel pool, and will continue long-term monitoring and reporting of site groundwater.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure

According to the licensee’s PSDAR, License termination is estimated for 2062

5.0 Public Interest

There has been recent interest regarding effluent discharges from Indian Point during decommissioning. The NRC has assembled the responses to several questions related to this process, which can be found on the FAQ page about Indian Point Effluent Releases.

The NRC regulates the disposal of radioactive waste under several regulatory provisions (see 10 CFR 20.2001; 20.1301; 20.2003; 20.2004; 20.2005; 10 CFR 35.92), such as transferring the material or waste to an authorized recipient, storing it for decay (decay-in-storage), and safely releasing it into the environment (effluent release). Any disposal method may be chosen if it meets the applicable NRC regulations. The NRC regulations governing radioactive releases are based on the dose to the public, whatever the volume of the release.