ML051380601
| ML051380601 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Millstone  |
| Issue date: | 05/18/2005 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region I |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Press Release-I-05-029 | |
| Download: ML051380601 (2) | |
See also: see also:Press Release-I-05-029
Text
NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region I
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa.
Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA
No. I-05-029 May 18, 2005
Contact:
Diane Screnci, 610/337-5330
E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov
Neil Sheehan, 610/337-5331
NRC REPORTS PRELIMINARY RESULTS
OF MILLSTONE 3 SPECIAL INSPECTION
An NRC special inspection team sent to the Millstone 3 nuclear power plant to review an
April 17th shutdown has preliminarily concluded the event was caused by an apparent failure of a
circuit card in a computerized reactor protection system. The team has also determined the unit was
safely removed from service by operators, any radiological releases were well below regulatory limits
and there were no public health and safety consequences. However, the team did identify several
inspection findings.
NRC staff will present the preliminary results of the inspection this evening at a meeting of
Connecticuts Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC). NEACs meeting, which is open to the
public for observation, is scheduled to get under way at 6 p.m. at Waterford Town Hall, 15 Rope Ferry
Road in Waterford, Conn.
The Millstone 2 and 3 nuclear power plants are located in Waterford and operated by
Dominion Resources.
On April 17, Millstone 3 experienced an automatic shutdown from full power. The event
involved the activation of various safety subsystems. As the reactor was shutting down, main steam
line safety valves opened to automatically remove heat generated after the reactor shutdown. One main
steam line safety valve remained open for an extended period of time. It was this condition that
resulted in the declaration of an Alert - the second-lowest of four levels of emergency classification.
In response to the event, the NRC sent a special inspection team to the facility on April 20 to
evaluate the circumstances surrounding the shutdown with complications. Consisting of four full-time
and four part-time inspectors, the team was a multi-disciplined group with diverse backgrounds.
The team has identified several findings, including issues involving the failure of a turbine-
driven pump that is part of a system sometimes used to help cool down the plant, control-room
indicator design issues, minor operator response issues, a delay in the activation of a computer program
used to evaluate plant conditions and the adequacy of the companys boric acid control program. The
NRC has preliminarily determined these findings to be green.
-2-
The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear
power plant performance. The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or
red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.
The special inspection team has also noted that in response to the event, Dominion made a
timely assessment of radiological conditions and has since launched a review of the shutdown by its
own evaluation team, implemented multiple corrective actions and planned additional evaluations.
After presenting its preliminary findings this evening, the NRC special inspection team will
document its findings and conclusions in a report to be issued within 45 days.