N.J. Admin. Code § 14:5A-2.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 23, December 2, 2024

Section 14:5A-2.2 - Update elements

(a) The Update filing shall consist of the following elements, each of which shall be accompanied by technical support sufficient to provide the Board with a basis to evaluate the filing:

1. For the initial filing on January 1, 1996, a generic assessment of the current status and developing trends on all activities that affect the costs of nuclear facility decommissioning. For each subsequent filing made pursuant to this chapter, an update of the current status and trends which have developed concerning all activities that affect the cost of nuclear facility decommissioning since the latter of the previous Decommissioning Cost Update filing or most recent base rate case review. The activities required to be assessed under this paragraph shall include, at a minimum, the following:

i. Actual facility decommissioning costs both foreign and domestic;

ii. Development and use of state of the art equipment and techniques such as robotics, heavy duty cutting methods, computer monitoring, remote observation systems and chemical cleaning methods which will increase efficiency and/or reduce radiation exposures, waste processing methods which reduce the volume of decommissioning wastes, and other innovations that will affect the decommissioning process and/or related costs which have been developed since the last estimate;

iii. Development of both high level and low level radioactive waste disposal sites and their cost or pricing structures;

iv. Transportation methods and hardware for transporting radioactive material;

v. Applicable regulatory changes undertaken or specific clean up standards adopted by the NRC, DEP, DOH, DOTNJ, DOTUS or other appropriate governmental bodies and applicable recommendations by industry organizations; and

vi. Insurance cost estimates to cover potential liabilities during decommissioning.

2. For each nuclear generating facility owned in whole or in part by an electric public utility, the utility shall provide the latest cost estimate for decommissioning, along with all supporting documentation. In support of the information filed under this paragraph each utility shall indicate the following for each facility:

i. The current projected date for cessation of commercial operation and the current projected date for commencement and completion of decommissioning activities;

ii. The status of any efforts by the utility to extend the date for cessation of commercial operation, and changes in plant status;

iii. The planned decommissioning option to be employed upon cessation of commercial operation, from the following list of options and the justification for the choice of that particular option:

(1) DECON;

(2) ENTOMB;

(3) SAFSTOR; or

(4) Other options as deemed appropriate by the NRC, electric public utility and/or other applicable entities;

iv. The source of and supporting data for the decommissioning cost estimate, either resulting from a site-specific study of the particular facility or via generic NRC guidelines or some other means:

(1) In the event that the decommissioning cost estimate provided pursuant to this chapter is based upon a site-specific study, the electric public utility must provide that study.

(2) In the event that the decommissioning cost estimate provided pursuant to this chapter is based upon generic NRC guidelines, the electric public utility must provide all information which led the utility to translate these guidelines into the particular cost estimate along with an explanation and supporting documents of all adjustments made to the NRC generic guidelines for each facility;

v. The decommissioning cost estimate and assumed commercial operation cessation date which formed the basis for the existing level of decommissioning funding in the public electric utility's rates;

vi. A description of the specific manner in which the information filed pursuant to (a)1 above affects the decommissioning cost estimate provided pursuant to this chapter;

vii. An explanation of the method used to calculate the annual contribution to the external funds including inflation rates used to estimate future value and yield rates estimated for the external fund;

viii. The remaining spent fuel storage capacity and need, if any, for expanded storage ; and

ix. The escalation factors and contingency factors used in the calculation.

N.J. Admin. Code § 14:5A-2.2

Amended by R.1997 d.539, effective 12/15/1997.
See: 29 New Jersey Register 2637(a), 29 New Jersey Register 5329(b).
Added (a)2ix.