ENS 40877

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v t e ENS Event
20:00 Jul 16, 2004
Title	Press Release Will Be Issued at 1300 Pdt on 7/16/04 on the Material Accountability Discrepancy Involving a Portion of a Spent Fuel Rod Used at Humbolt Bay Power Plant Unit 3.
Event Description	This is a non-emergency Event Notification made in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi) to inform the NRC that a press release will be issued shortly informing the public of a nuclear material accountability discrepancy involving a portion of a spent fuel rod used at Pacific Gas and Electric's (PG&E) Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) Unit 3. HBPP Unit 3 has been shut down since 1976 and in SAFSTOR since 1988. In the process of reviewing records and verifying the contents of the spent fuel pool (SFP) in preparation for loading materials into dry cask storage, PG&E has identified a discrepancy in plant records that calls into question the location of three segments of a portion of a single spent fuel rod removed from assembly A-49 in 1968. Meeting records produced in 1968 indicate that the segments have been stored in the SFP since 1968. However, 1969 plant shipping records indicate that the entire A-49 assembly was included as part of a larger shipment of several spent fuel assemblies sent for offsite reprocessing in 1969. The 1969 shipping records make no mention that one rod had been removed from the A-49 assembly that was shipped. A more detailed review of records and a complete search of the SFP is underway to establish and verify the location of the three fuel rod segments. Since 2003, PG&E plant personnel have been conducting a complete review of plant records and cataloging the contents of the SFP in preparation for the planned decommissioning of the plant, including the transfer of spent fuel into an onsite Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation. On June 23, 2004, plant personnel found Onsite Review Committee (OSRC) meeting minutes dated October 2, 1968, that described cutting one fuel rod from fuel assembly A-49 into three 18 inch segments that were placed into a small container (1 -1 /2 inch, schedule 40 pipe) in preparation for shipment to the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, for analysis. The meeting minutes further state that the shipment to Battelle was subsequently cancelled and the small container with the three 18-inch fuel rod segments was returned to the SFP, with the specific location in the SFP unidentified. The minutes also state that the remnants of the 84 inch long fuel rod from which the three 18-inch segments were cut were placed in the central storage container within the SFP. On June 25, 2004, after further research, PG&E found shipping records indicating that on August 6, 1969, the entire A-49 fuel assembly was shipped to Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. (NFS) in West Valley, New York, for reprocessing. No mention was made in the shipping record that a rod had been removed from the A-49 fuel assembly. This contradicts the OSRC meeting minutes that indicate one fuel rod from A-49 remains in the SFP. Further review of records did not resolve the discrepancy, so on June 28, 2004, PG&E verbally notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region IV office of the potential discrepancy in records and the uncertainty regarding the specific location of the fuel rod removed from A-49. On July 7, 2004, PG&E began a physical search of the central storage container in the SFP for the remnant portions of the A-49 rod, as well as the three 18-inch segments. On July 9-11, 2004, PG&E identified what appears to be the remnant portions of the A-49 rod in the central storage container in the SFP as specified in the 1968 OSRC meeting minutes. However, the three 18-inch segments were not found in the central storage container. PG&E is continuing with a thorough search of the remaining storage containers in the SFP as well as other possible areas in the SFP where the three fuel rod segments may be located. The search is a painstaking process performed under tight procedural guidance that could take at least several weeks to complete. NRC inspectors have been onsite during the week of July 12 and are fully aware of the status of these inspections. In addition, PG&E is continuing its review of plant records as well as interviewing plant personnel who were onsite during the 1968-1969 period to find further evidence that may expedite location of the three fuel rod segments. This notification also satisfies the 30-day notification requirement of 10 CFR 20.2201(a)(1)(ii). If ongoing searches fail to confirm the location of the material, a subsequent written report will be made in accordance with 10 CFR 20.2201(b).

ENS 40877 +/-
Where
Humboldt Bay California (NRC Region 4)
Reporting

10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi), Notification to Government Agency or News Release
Time - Person (Reporting Time:+-5.93 h-0.247 days <br />-0.0353 weeks <br />-0.00812 months <br />)
Opened:	David Sokolsky 14:04 Jul 16, 2004
NRC Officer:	Chauncey Gould
Last Updated:	Jul 16, 2004
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v • d • e

v t e Emergency Notification System
Humboldt Bay with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(xi), Notification to Government Agency or News Release
WEEKMONTHYEAR2004-08-17T15:30:00 [Table view]
[ENS list for Humboldt Bay]

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