ML14225A525
| ML14225A525 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades  |
| Issue date: | 08/20/2014 |
| From: | Macfarlane A NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Kamps K Beyond Nuclear |
| Laura Kozak,OCM/AMM | |
| References | |
| CORR-14-0084 | |
| Download: ML14225A525 (2) | |
Text
August 20, 2014 Kevin Kamps Beyond Nuclear 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 400 Takoma Park, MD 20912
Dear Kevin:
Thank you for the invitation to meet with you and others in the Palisades region on June 4th. I value these interactions and particularly appreciated the opportunity to listen to the concerns about the plants operation expressed by those in attendance. Thank you for your personal effort to invite the many who attended and for the time everyone took to prepare and participate in the meeting. I also commend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Region III staff for the support they provided for this meeting and subsequently.
I committed at the meeting to look in further detail into a few issues your group brought to my attention. I write to report back to you on these matters, following research conducted by my staff and Region III.
I have learned that several of the issues discussed at the meeting have been addressed in the recent past by the NRC through various means. These issues include reactor vessel embrittlement, radiological effluent monitoring, and tritium releases. In addition to these issues, your group expressed particular concern about the use of data from surveillance test capsules retrieved from other reactors in the evaluation of pressurized thermal shock (PTS) for Palisades.
My staff conducted a review of the several PTS references for Palisades at my direction and found discussion of PTS regulations on the NRC website at NRC: 10 CFR 50.61 -- fracture toughness requirements for protection against pressurized thermal shock events. There is also a good summary of the Palisades PTS evaluation in a March 19, 2013, NRC Public Meeting Webinar on Pressurized Thermal Shock.1 For the PTS evaluation, data from surveillance capsules obtained from Palisades are used, as well as data obtained from other reactors that have similar material properties to the limiting weld material at Palisades.
I recognize Kevin that you are likely to already have familiarity with this research and background. But do know that I now have a heightened awareness, as does my staff. If there are further questions or concerns that you have on this issue, please let us know.
My staff also identified a significant amount of information documenting the NRC staffs safety review relative to the other issues discussed in our meeting. I have enclosed with this letter several relevant documents from the NRCs website and ones we found in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). I hope these provide 1
ADAMS Accession Number ML13108A336, Summary of the March 19, 2013, Public Meeting Webinar Regarding Palisades Nuclear Plant
answers to the questions you and others asked during our meeting. This material is voluminous, but I want to ensure you have the documentation you seek.
During our discussions, several local residents also expressed concern about what would occur if a local citizen inadvertently entered the Owner Controlled Area (OCA) around the plant. The NRC staff informed me that any unauthorized individual who mistakenly enters onto plant property would be asked to leave the area by security personnel. If necessary, the licensee would contact local law enforcement for assistance in escorting unauthorized individuals away from the OCA. This type of an incident does not pose a threat to the plant and requires only minimal intervention from plant security personnel.
Based upon this review done at your groups behest, and with the confidence I have in the oversight provided by staff at Region III and headquarters, as well as by Palisades Resident Inspectors, I am assured of NRCs oversight program. I have promised previously that we will not allow any facility to operate unless we are certain it can do so safely and this promise encompasses Palisades.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Allison M. Macfarlane
Enclosures:
As stated
Documents Enclosed in Letter from Chairman Macfarlane to Kevin Kamps dated August 20, 2014.
Number Date Subject ADAMS Accession No.
Slides on NRC Public Webinar -
1 01/12/13 ML13010A282 NRCs Perspectives on Leaks Letter from John Giessner, Region III to Entergy Nuclear Operations on 2 02/11/13 Summary of the January 12, 2013, ML13042A293 Public Meeting Webinar Regarding Palisades Nuclear Plant Slides on Palisades Surveillance 3 04/03/13 ML13093A191 Capsules Letter from J. Giessner, Region III to Entergy Nuclear Operations, on 4 04/18/13 Summary of the March 19, 2013, ML13108A336 Public Meeting Webinar Regarding Palisades Nuclear Plant Letter from Commissioner Magwood to Bette Pierman responds to her 5 05/28/13 ML13120A611 concerns regarding the safe operation of Palisades.
Letter from Commissioner Magwood to Kraig Schulz responds to his 6 05/28/14 ML13120A652 concerns regarding the safe operation of Palisades Letter from John Giessner, Region III to Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. on 7 06/13/13 Summary of the May 23, 2013, Public ML13165A242 Meeting Webinar Regarding Nuclear Power Plant Effluents Letter from Mahesh Chawla, NRR to Anthony Vitale, Entergy on Palisades Nuclear Plant - Updated Reactor 8 12/18/13 ML13346A136 Vessel Fluence Evaluation Supporting a Revised Pressurized Thermal Shock Screening Criterial Limit Enclosure