NRC Approves Oyster Creek's Cybersecurity Plan

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a license amendment request for the owners of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant that would allow exemptions in its cybersecurity plan.

"We have approved the request," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said.

The bulk of Exelon's required cybersecurity upgrades are already in place. They include critical digital asset configuration management to make sure the systems are isolated from the Internet, cybersecurity incident response and recovery and cybersecurity training, he said.

In April, Exelon asked to shift the full finish date for the last part of the new cybersecurity requirements from Dec. 31, 2017 to Aug. 31, 2021. Oyster Creek is due to shut down at the end of 2019.

Oyster Creek's remaining operational lifespan of roughly two years is another reason the NRC approved Exelon's request, Sheehan said.

The NRC implemented new two-phase cybersecurity requirements for nuclear plants in the United States back in 2009 to make sure that digital computer functions, communication systems and networks for plant's safety, security and emergency preparedness are protected.

Oyster Creek has already met a number of "milestones" in the cybersecurity requirements, which will ensure the plant remains safe, Sheehan said.

Oyster Creek is the oldest nuclear plant in the United States. It went online on Dec. 23, 1969.

Photo: Patricia A. Miller