ML12192A197
| ML12192A197 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | San Onofre  |
| Issue date: | 07/24/2012 |
| From: | Doug Broaddus Plant Licensing Branch II |
| To: | Rette J - No Known Affiliation |
| Gibson L | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML12192A185 | List: |
| References | |
| G20120379, LTR-12-0224, TAC ME8916, TAC ME8917, SECY-2012-0283 | |
| Download: ML12192A197 (3) | |
Text
UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 July 24, 2012 Mr. John Rette 23541 Indian Wells Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Dear Mr. Rette:
On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), I am responding to your letter to Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko, dated May 8,2012, in which you conveyed concerns about the safety of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
As you noted in your letter, SONGS, Units 2 and 3, are currently shut down due to excessive steam generator tube wear. On March 15, 2012, the NRC sent an augmented inspection team (AIT) to the site in response to the January 31, 2012, steam generator tube leak in Unit 3 and the subsequent discovery of significant tube-to-tube wear on both of the Unit 3 steam generators and significantly less tube-to-tube wear on one of the two Unit 2 steam generators.
For several months, this team of NRC inspectors, with assistance from other NRC experts, has been closely following the licensee's actions to evaluate the causes of the excessive tube wear and to develop corrective actions to prevent further tube degradation. On June 18, 2012, NRC personnel met with representatives of Southern California Edison (SCE) in San Juan Capistrano, California, to present the NRC's issues and observations resulting from the AIT inspection. As discussed in that meeting, the NRC understands the steam generator thermal hydraulic conditions that resulted in the tube degradation; that these conditions were not accurately predicted during design; and that the licensee is evaluating and developing additional actions to fix and prevent any additional tube-to-tube degradation due to excessive vibration On March 27,2012, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) to SCE, identifying the specific actions the licensee has committed to take prior to returning the units to power operation. The CAL can be viewed on the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov, in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), at Accession No. ML12087A323. Under the terms of the CAL, each unit will remain shut down until the licensee provides its written evaluations and responses to all of the CAL items for that unit. The NRC will perform additional related inspections and reviews of that information. The NRC will not allow the plant to restart if we are not satisfied it can be operated without undue risk to public health and safety. The NRC will take as much time as needed in determining the appropriate actions to ensure the safety of the public, and will communicate its determinations to SCE regarding the restart of SONGS, Units 2 and 3, in writing.
You also expressed concern about the storage of spent fuel rods. SONGS currently stores spent nuclear fuel in an onsite independent spent fuel storage installation (also known as "dry cask storage"), and in the spent fuel pools in Units 2 and 3. The NRC has reviewed and approved the designs of the spent fuel storage structures and facilities to ensure that the spent fuel can be stored safely. In these reviews, the NRC staff accounted for the unique characteristics of the SONGS site, including the design basis seismic ground motion. The spent
J. Rette
- 2 fuel storage structures will be reevaluated, as needed, based on the results of ongoing seismic reviews and other lessons learned in response to the Fukushima events.
Thank you for conveying your concerns about these matters.
Sincerely, Douglas A. Broaddus, Chief San Onofre Special Project Branch Division of Operating Reactor Licensing Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Docket Nos. 50-361 and 50-362
P~:ML12192A185; Incoming ML 12157 0 ML121 2 7
OFFICE NRR/DORLlLPL4/PM NRR/DORLlLPL4/LA NRR/DORLIPM INRR/DORLlBC NAME LKGibson J8urkhardt JRHall IDBroaddus DATE 7/10/12 7/10/12 7/23/12 J7/24/12