NRC seeks data on NJ Oyster Creek reactor renewal

NEW YORK, May 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it needed more information on a technical issue before deciding whether to renew the operating license for Exelon Corp's (EXC.N) Oyster Creek nuclear power reactor in New Jersey.

Oyster Creek is the oldest operating reactor in the nation. It entered service in 1969 and without the license renewal; will have to shut in April 2009.

The 619-megawatt plant, which can produce enough power for about 500,000 New Jersey homes, is located in Forked River in Ocean County about 60 miles (97 km) east of Philadelphia.

Exelon applied with the NRC to renew the plant's original 40-year operating license for another 20 years in July 2005.

Exelon's AmerGen Energy Co subsidiary owns the station, while its Exelon Generation Co LLC subsidiary operates it.

Exelon, of Chicago, owns and operates more than 38,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities. It transmits and distributes electricity to 5.4 million and distributes natural gas to 480,000 customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania.

DRYWELL ISSUE

In the order Wednesday, the Commissioners asked the parties to explain whether the structural analysis AmerGen has committed to perform on the drywell matches analyses proposed by one of the federal review board judges and whether additional analysis is necessary.

A coalition of environmental and public interest groups, known as the Citizens, petitioned the Commission for review of a December 2007 decision by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB), the federal review board.