An evidentiary hearing on an issue raised by several environmental organizations regarding the application to build a third reactor at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant will be held this month regarding energy alternatives to the reactor.

The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, and, if necessary, continue at the same time on Friday, Jan. 27 in the Albright Building at 205 Main St., Prince Frederick. An oral limited appearance statement session, to which the public is invited to speak, will be conducted from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and 7 to 8:30 p.m. prior to the hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Calvert Marine Museum.

The issue involves whether energy alternatives to the third reactor at the Lusby plant have been properly considered. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s three-judge Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel led by Chairman Ronald M. Spritzer will conduct the hearing, which will involve lawyers and expert witnesses for the respective parties. Members of the public can observe the sessions but will not be allowed to participate.

The first portion of an application to construct and operate CC3 was submitted to the NRC in 2007 by Calvert Cliffs 3 Nuclear Project, LLC and UniStar Nuclear Operating Services, LLC. After conducting an initial review for acceptability of the application, the NRC staff published a notice on the opportunity for any individual or group who wanted to do so to seek a hearing on the proposal. One of the issues, or contentions, raised at that time was whether the analysis of energy alternatives to the new reactor was adequate.

The contention was among several submitted by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Beyond Nuclear, Public Citizen Energy Program and Southern Maryland Citizens’ Alliance for Renewable Energy Solutions. That contention will be the focus of the evidentiary hearing set to begin on Jan. 26.

A second contention, on which the panel has yet to rule but for which a hearing was held last spring, involves the issue of foreign ownership. NRC regulations prohibit a nuclear reactor from being owned, dominated or controlled by a foreign entity, and currently UniStar is owned largely by Electricite de France, which has said in the past that it continues to search for a new U.S. partner after it bought out Constellation Energy’s share of the venture in 2009.

However, UniStar recently bypassed a stepping stone on its route to full CC3 approval, after the Maryland Board of Public Works, consisting of the governor, the state treasurer and the comptroller, unanimously approved the company’s application for a Maryland wetlands permit for the reactor project. That approval came last week.

“We’re pleased the Board of Public Works has unanimously approved the Calvert Cliffs 3 tidal wetlands permit application,” UniStar spokeswoman Laura Eifler said in a prepared statement on clearing that hurdle. “This is an important milestone in our development of the Calvert Cliffs 3 project.”

Anyone wishing to speak at the oral limited appearance sessions should pre-register by 5 p.m., Jan. 13 to receive priority. Requests should be sent to the ASLB chairman by email: Kirsten.stoddard@nrc.gov and Ronald.spritzer@nrc.gov; or by mail to Administrative Judge Ronald M. Spritzer, Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel, Mail Stop: T-3F23, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001.

Persons wishing to submit a written statement may do so by contacting the ASLB by e-mail at hearingdocket@nrc.gov, by fax to 301-415-1101 or by regular mail to: Office of the Secretary, Attn. Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001. In addition, copies of written statements should be sent to Ronald.spritzer@nrc.gov; by fax to 301-415-5599 or by mail to the above address.

MEGHAN RUSSELL