ML102220030

Leaks & Spills at Ppl'S Nuclear Power Plant

ML102220030
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	07/22/2010
From:	Epstein E - No Known Affiliation
To:	NRC/SECY/RAS
SECY RAS
References
HH-5
Download: ML102220030 (6)

Text

Pierpoint, Christine From: Eric Epstein [lechambon@comcast.net]

Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 6:42 AM To: Docket, Hearing Cc: Welkie, Andrew; Eitreim, Anthony; Baratta, Anthony; CSisco@winston.com; Pierpoint, Christine; OGCMailCenter Resource; drepka@winston.com; Frye, Don; Hawkens, Roy; Julian, Emile; Julian, Emile; EJduncan@winston.com; Ngbea, Evangeline; genestilp@comcast.net; Bielecki, Jessica; Deucher, Joseph; Gilman, Joseph; Golshan, KG; Lewis, Linda; maria.webb@pillsburylaw.com; Zobler, Marian; Kennedy, Michael; Greathead, Nancy; OCAAMAIL Resource; rwilson@winston.com; Charbeneau, Randall; Giitter, Rebecca; robert.haemer@pillsburylaw.com; Weisman, Robert; MSHD Resource; Kirkwood, Sara; Vrahoretis, Susan; owad@schnitz.com; Ryan, Tom; trsmith@winston.com; Froehlich, William; Kahn, Zachary

Subject:

Leaks & Spills at PPL's Nuclear Power Plant Leaks & Spills at PPL's Nuclear Power Plant

Contact:

Eric Epstein Chairman, TMI-Alert 717-541-1101; lechambonna comcast.net

- April 5, 1998 - Unit-2 was shut down manually due to a leak on the non-nuclear side of the water cooling system. (Lancaster Sunday News, April 5, 1998.)

December 19-24, 1999 - Unit-2 was shutdown to make "repairs

[replace] to a pipe" connected to the "water pressure on a recirculation water pump". this system is part of the plant's primary containment structure. (News Release, PPL, December 24, 1999).

(SeeAugust 17-25, 2000, for a related problem at Unit-i).

• August 17-25, 2000 - Unit-2 was shut down to make repairs on a "small leak in the instrument line [inside the primary containment area]...on a large water pump". ("News Release(s)," PPL, August 17 &

25, 2000.) (See December 19-24, 1999, for a related problem at Unit-1.)

• December 13, 2002 - A security challenge occurred at the SSES nuclear facility on the Susquehanna River:

"At 145o EST on 12/13/2002, Susquehanna LLC Main Control Room received a request for additional information from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). PEMA received rumors that a HAZMAT team had been dispatched to Susquehanna in response to a spill associated with a potential sabotage event.

"At 1158 EST a delivery truck at the owner controlled entrance gate was identified to have a saddle tank leak which resulted in a spill of approximately lo gallons. The diesel fuel was contained by site persofnnel, and is in the process of being cleaned by site personnel.

None of the oil reached a waterway, and therefore does not meet the requirements for a reportable spill. The delivery company contacted their contracted spill response team, and they responded to the cleanup activities. The minor spill was not due to sabotage. This information has been provided to PEMA. "This report is being issued due to the involvement of other government agencies, and reportable under 1oCFR5o.72(b)(2)(xi)." (US NRC).

• March 25 2004:

Small Flaw Found in Pipe at PPL Nuclear Site in Luzerne County, Pa.

A crack was discovered in a pipe during a routine inspection of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, PPL Corp. announced Wednesday. The defect posed no immediate threat to the public, according to PPL, which operates the plant. Risk of rupture within the Unit i reactor was not significant because the crack was so small, a company spokesman said.

Seý<n'1

"This was nowhere near a break," Herb Woodeshick said. He likened the crack, found Tuesday, to a "blemish.

By Sam Kennedy, The Morning Call)

July 25, 2oo5:

NEW YORK, July 25 (Reuters) - PPL Corp.'s (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) 1,140-megawatt unit 1 at the Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania dipped to 73 percent of capacity by early Monday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report.

On Friday, the unit was operating at full power.

Power was reduced throughout the weekend to replace feed water valves. PPL began a return to full power on

• May 01, 2006:

BERWICK -- PPL Corp. shut the 1,140-megawatt unit 2 at the Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania on April 29 to repair a water leak, the company said in a release.

"The leak is minor -- significantly less than the amount that would require us to shut down for repairs according to the pldrt's operating procedures -- and it does not affect our ability to operate safely," Robert Saccone, vice president of Nuclear Operations for PPL Susquehanna, said in the release.

"We made the proactive decision to find and fix the leak now, so that we don't run the risk of having to shut down the unit during the summer if the leak gets worse. In the summer months, the regional power grid, consumers and PPL count on Susquehanna to provide reliable power as electricity use increases," Mr. Saccone added.

• October 27, 2008:

NRC MONITORING ALERT AT SUSQUEHANNA 2 NUCLEAR PLANT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is monitoring an Alert declared this afternoon at the Susquehanna 2 nuclear power plant in Salem Township (Luzerne County), Pa. An Alert is the second-lowest of four levels of emergency classification used by the NRC.

At 4:15 a.m. today, maintenance work was initiated on a water line that is part of a reactor safety system for the plant. That work involved the use of a "freeze seal" - that is, placing a device containing nitrogen over a section of piping so that the water inside the.line can be frozen. Once frozen, the line can be isolated to allow maintenance to be performed on it.

• December, 2009:

Susquehanna 3rd reactor in Pa to report incident December 2, 2009 10:15am EST NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The failure of a river water supply line and flooding at the Susquehanna nuclear power station in Pennsylvania forced owner PPL Corp (PPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to reduce power to one reactor on Tuesday, the company told the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

There were no injuries and power at the 1,140-megawatt 2

Ufiit 2 was lowered to 79 percent, from about 94 percent.

A plant spokesman could not say when the plant would return waskstilltoassessing full power due to competitive reasons. The company the problem at the plant, located in Berwick in Columbia County about 125 miles (201 km) northwest of Philadelphia.

The incident at Susquehanna was the latest problem over the past two weeks at nuclear plants in Pennsylvania that worried the public and upset state officials.

Susquehanna Vault Floods The latest incident at Susquehanna involved the failure of the supply line bringing river water to the Unit 2 cooling tower, causing the valve vault to flood and overflow at several thousands of gallons per minute. The vault is about 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep and 12 feet across.

The plant was still pumping water from the river to the vault and then pumping the water from the vault to the cooling tower, the spokesman said. Cooling towers, which stand about 540 feet (165 meters) tall, take heat out of the water used to cool plant equipment. The water from the cooling tower is pumped to the condenser where it cools the steam, which turns the turbine, back into water.

The water from the cooling tower and the water from the turbines do not mix in the condenser. PPL called the local fire company to provide equipment to help pump out the vault. The river water overflowing the vault entered nearby storm drains and a nearby building housing non safety-related equipment. The water entering the sewer did not constitute a reportable spill. The company reduced Unit 2 to minimize the impact to the cooling tower.

• July 17, 2010:

Unit 1 at Susquehanna Nuclear Plant Shuts Down Safely...

BERWICK, Pa., July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Unit 1 at PPL's Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick, Luzerne County, Pa., safely shut down late Friday afternoon (7/16).

"Operators made a conservative decision to safely shut down Unit 1 following a leak of river water into the turbine building basement," said Jeff Helsel, PPL's Susquehanna plant manager. "The river water entered the basement from a hatch that provides access to part of the unit's condenser.

The condenser uses river water to cool the steam leaving the turbine."

Following repairs, operators will restore the system and return the unit to service.

- July 19, 2010 Nuclear plant unit could be down for extended time BY PATRICK SWEET (STAFF WRITER)

Published: July 21, 2010 Flooding forced PPL to shut down Unit 1 of the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant late Friday afternoon.

3

An estimated 1 million gallons of Susquehanna river water flowed from an 8-foot-diameter pipe heading to the condenser room - where steam leaving the turbine is cooled - and damaged equipment in the basement of the plant's turbine building.

As a result, the plant could be shut down for a long period.

"We don't have an estimate," PPL spokesman Joe Scopelliti said. "There is no timeline."

Patrick Finney, the plant's senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector, doesn't think the plant will be online any time soon, though.

"I think they have a long road ahead of them," Mr. Finney said Tuesday.

The utility is investigating whether a door allowing workers access to the condenser room is the source, Mr. Scopelliti said.

Mr. Finney said it also is investigating whether a gasket was out of place.

When the plant workers discovered the leak, they were forced to cut off water to the pipe manually because computerized systems failed, Mr. Finney said. Having to turn the water off manually, though, doesn't represent a safety issue. The plant, he said, was designed to have the manual option.

The plant was forced to bring in extra workers to dry, repair and test equipment and is sampling the water for radiological and industrial material as it is removed and stored in tanks.

"If it meets all the discharge limits," Mr. Scopelliti said of the water, "it'll be returned back to the river."

Given the location of the leak, Mr. Finney said, any contaminants in the water will likely be industrial, such as grease and oil from moving mechanical parts.

Before the plant is started up, PPL will inspect the leak and

ýarea affected by the water.

To make up for the loss of generation, PPL will either purchase additional power from the grid or produce it itself at another plant.

Susquehanna Unit 2 is still fully functioning.

Contact the writer: psweet(Bcitizensvoice.com 4

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