ML042080134

E-mail from R. Williams of Vermont Yankee to Various, Regarding VY News Release

ML042080134
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee
Issue date:	04/29/2004
From:	Robert Williams Entergy Nuclear, Vermont Yankee
To:	Arthur F, Bennett B, Gottlieb L, Larosa P, Morovich N Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Vermont Yankee
References
FOIA/PA-2004-0267
Download: ML042080134 (3)

Text

. Entergy Page I of 3 Sienel, Beth From: Williams, Rob Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 3:35 PM To: BENNETT, BRYAN C; VTY - All Users; Gottlieb, Larry; WIESE, JR, ARTHUR E. F.; MOROVICH, NANCY C; LAROSA, PAUL

Subject:

VY news release FYI: We are distributing this news release this afternoon.

Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee 185 Old Ferry Road Brattleboro, Vt 05301 7-Entffgy News Release Date: April 29, 2004

Contact:

Rob Williams (802) 258-4181 rwil1231enttergy 9rn (Va A/1 r%/)nnA

. Entergy Page. 2 of 3 Garrett Calantropioof Vernon, an electronics technician with ROV Technologies, holds the remote-controlled underwvater crawling device that is being used to search the Venront Yankee spentfiuel pool floor spacefor spentfiuel rod segments.

Remote-Controlled Camera Begins Work in Vermont Yankee Fuel Pool BRATTLEBORO, VT -- On Thursday morning, technicians at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon lowered a self-propelled remote control camera into the plant's spent fuel pool and began traversing the pool floor as part of an on-going investigation to locate two segments of spent fuel rods that are unaccounted for.

Technicians from ROV Technologies, Inc. of Vernon, under the supervision of Entergy Vermont Yankee, are maneuvering the three-inch high motorized crawling device in the space under the spent fuel storage racks. The crawling device is equipped with forward and reverse facing cameras and lights as well as a mechanical gripper mounted on an articulated arm. High resolution video data from the cameras is being analyzed by plant engineers and by state and federal regulators.

- more -

Entergy News Release April 29, 2004 Page 2.

The two segments of spent fuel are about the diameter of a pencil and are seven and 17- inches long respectively.

According to plant documentation, shortly after their removal from the reactor in 1979, the highly radioactive rods were placed in a special stainless steel container in the spent fuel pool. However, a recent in-depth examination of the contents determined the rod segments were not in their documented location.

"We take this investigation very seriously," said John Hoffman, Entergy's Special Nuclear Materials Task Team Manager. "We have brought together the necessary resources and technical expertise to conduct a thorough 411 <n)M

Entergy Page~3 of 3 investigation. Our goal with the camera work is to find the segments in the pool or to eliminate the pool as a possible location."

Vermont Yankee's investigation also includes a thorough review of shipping and storage records as far back as 1979 when the fuel segments were originally removed from the reactor. The record review will address the possibility that the segments were shipped in shielded containers to other facilities licensed to handle radioactive waste.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production, retail distribution operations, energy marketing and trading, and gas transportation. Entergy owns and operates power plants with about 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.6 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Through Entergy-Koch, LP, it is also a leading provider of wholesale energy marketing and trading services, as well as an operator of natural gas pipeline and storage facilities. Entergy has annual revenues of over $9 billion and approximately 14,000 employees.

Entergy Nuclear's online addressis ivivwlmtergy-nuclearcon The tollowing constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities LigatiQ R m Act of 1995: Investors are cautioned that fonrard-looking statements contained in the foregoing release withIt respect to the revenues, earnings, perfonnance, strategies, prospects and other aspects of the business of Entergy Corporationmay involve risks and uncertainties.Actual events and results may. for a variety of reasons, prove to be materially differentfromn those indicated in thesefonvard-looking statements, estimates and projections.

Factors that could influence actualfutture outcomes include regulatory decisions, the effects of changes in law, the evolution of narkets and competition, changes in accounting, weather, the perfonnance of generating units, fuel prices and availability,financial markets, risks associated with businesses conducted in foreign countries, changes in business plan, the presence of competitors wvith greaterfinancial resourcesand the impact of competitive products and pricing: the effect of the Entergy Corporation'spolicies, including the amount and rate of growth of Entergy Corporation'sexpenses: the continued availability to Entergy Corporation of adequatefunding sources and changes in interest rates; delays or difficulties in the production, delivery or installation of products and the provision of services; and various legal, regulatory and litigation risks. Entergy Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any fonvard-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For a more detailed discussion of some of the foregoing risks and uncertainties,see Entergy Corporation'sfilings wsith the Securities and Erchange Commnission.

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