Long plagued by malfunctions, fines, and shutdowns, the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant petitioned the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year to increase its generating capacity by 20 percent. But more surprising, its owners have asked the NRC to approve plans to build a new advanced reactor at the site, which is located about 45 miles away from Springfield. The NRC will hold a public hearing on the application at 7 p.m. tonight, March 20, in the Revere Ware Room of the Vespasian Warner Public Library, 310 N. Quincy Street, in Clinton. NRC spokesperson Viktoria Mitlyng says the first phase of the application process can take up to 33 months. Tonight’s meeting will inform people about the plant’s plans, allowing them to submit scientific evidence of any negative impact a second reactor would have.
“The public has a lot of power to impact the process,” Mitlyng told Illinois Times last November.
This article appears in May 1-7, 2003.
