ML17193A086
| ML17193A086 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Dresden  |
| Issue date: | 09/29/1980 |
| From: | Corcoran T HOUSE OF REP., INTERSTATE & FOREIGN COMMERCE |
| To: | Dircks W NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8010030425 | |
| Download: ML17193A086 (5) | |
Text
. ~:*** I
- ~*..
~.
-,--!JOCKl!TNUM3!~ {JO-f._~~T
.. * ~*q<*
'j' l"OM CORCORAN.
Uh11 DIS1'RICI', l&.LllGS
.. ~.
INTER9TATE ANO FOREIGN
. COMMERCE COMMITTEE
_,,. 'DllOn & UT1!.. f l~e.
1 * * *.-.: *
- J' O ff*
. 'I,
. I WASHINGTON OPFICEi 1107..__,... Hausa Onlcs BulLDDG
- W~
D.C. 20515 (202) 2ZS-2978 SUBCOMMITllm*ON ENERGY AND POWER SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS.
. Geongress of* tfJt '1niteb ~tates..
- o~e of l\\epr~tibti lmasf.Jfngtou, :m.c. 20515 DISTRICT OPPICES1 205 NORTM LAKE Snl&:ET
. ~
IL.LINOIS 60508..
(312) 8974220 POST OFFICE AND 'CIVIL SERVICECOMMITTEE.
SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION AND EMPLOYE!t BENEFITS SUBCOMMITTEE ON PosTAI. OPERATloNs AND SERVICES
- Mr. William J. Dircks.
Acting Executi~e Director.
of Operation~..
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555. *
Dear Mr. Dircks:
- September 29, 1980 100 Wl!ln' LvAYll'ITllC Snuarr OTTAWA, ILLDioJS 61350 (815) 434-5668 Thank you for your June 26 lett.er with which you enclosed a copy of NUREG-0686, a Draft Environmental Statement relative to the proposed chemical decontamination*.
of Corrmonwealth Edison's Dresden Nuclear Power Station Unit No. l. As you may recall, your letter was in response to my May 12 letter in which I requested to be kept informed of NRC 1 s actions in connection. with this. matter.
I didnot urge upon. NRC a particular course.of* action regarding the proposed Dresden.decon-**
tamination in.my May 12 letter, nor.do I. do so*.now.
However, I am concerned about..
- the delays and confusion which seem to be evident with respect to this project, and it is those delays and confusion which I would like to add.ress in ~his letter.
Subsequent to our *previous correspondence, I have rece.ived a September 15 1 etter.
from Mr. James J. O'Connor, Chairman*and President of Commonwealth Edison. *As you can see. from the enclosed copy of that letter,' ComEd states that* its f1nancial ability to bring Dresden back on li.ne in a timely manner was seriously impaired as... **
a result.of the late April decision by NRC's Director.of Licensing requiring that.*
an Environmental.Impact Statement would have to be prepared and issued for.public comment.
According to ComEd, this~ decision was a direct change from the position
- that the NRC staff had reco!TU'llended.
- ComEd states that, as of September.15, NRC delays have resulted in additional direct labor costs of $360,000 and impending additional. costs* o.f $100,000 per month.
According to ComEd, DOE has contributed
$8.25 million and ComEd has spent an additional $25.3 million in connection* with this project.. *
- .* ~*:
Particularly in view of the signifitant amount of u.s~ taxpayer *and ComEd ratepayer money involved here, I would be interested in your comments. rega*rding ComEd's,.
- September 15 letter.
While I lack technical expertise in this *area, I am concerned about the apparent* delays and confusion discussed by CoinEd.
My *interest is in hav..;.
ing the public interest served, and ComEd's. letter would seem to indicate that per-.
- haps the public interest is not being well served by NRC in this case, particularly in view of the fact that ComEdfirst submitted its decontamination proposal alm()st sjx years ago... I am also interested iri the significance of the involvement of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, which has just ar.nounced that it,has scheduled a technical meetir1g on this issue on October B'*in Washington, DC.
. 8 O). O OS O'fd.S'
- -~** *- - *-- *--*.... - - --- *-*--- -
Mr. William J. Dircks September 29, 1980 Page Two As the only Illinois member of the Conmeree Col'TlJTlittee's. Energy and Power Sub-committee, I am particularly* interested in NRC's actions orithis matter, es.-
pecia]ly in view of the fact that the Dresden facility is located in my district.
I look fon1ard to receiving your cormnents, and I. would appreciate your keeping me currently informed as to. the status* of the Dresden project in terms of NRC's involvement with the project.
Please feel free-to contact me, or Al Cobb.of my staff, if you have any questions or would like additional information *.
{
~
m Corcoran.
Representative in Congress 15th District, Illinois*
enc.
l
~...
e common.Ith Edison.. *.
- One First N al Plaza, Chicago, Illinois
- Address Reply to: Post Office.Box 767
. Chicago, Illinois 60690 fl-/£/
/..
Honorable Tom Corcoran*.
-September
-1107.Longworth House Office: Building Washington, o.. c.
20515-
Dear Tom:
/
A number: of* developments have taken place in the*- last.few-months~ which. profoundly af feet our* future plans for* Unit 1 at the' Dresden Nuclear Power station.*
- I am wri.ting to you. to-- provide. you with. a concise* sununary of.these* events: and.our* decisions.
.Almost six: years. ago we reached the cortclasion that in order to operate-Dresden 1 efficiently for another decade* or-more, it would be* prudent to-do a chemical.cleaning operation (decontamination). of the. primary piping system *.
The: reason for. this: is; that
- o.ver the years accumulations
- of metal and oxide, including radioactive iron*, nickel, cobalt, etc. have built up at various points in the piping system.. These accumulations-- increase the level of. radio-activity* at various. places-. in. the plant where personnel have*
to; *conduct inspections, modifications, and repair work.
We concluded:, that if a; successful chemical cleaning_ could be accomplished that it.would be possible to continue to operate this. Unit for a* significant number of years.
Dresden 1 has been an extremely economical source of* energy and its. 200 megawatts.. of capacity have.played an important role in recent years: in reducing the need for oil-fired generation, especially
- during: certain; portions; of the* year.
Three years ago,we~embarkedon this project in cooperation with ERDA. (now DOE) * *.To date they have contributed
. $8.25million and Conunonwealth Edison.has. spent an additional
$25. 3' million* on-effor.ts related* to the decontamination project and associated upgrades.
Throughout this entire period we have been. involved with the* NRC project staff concerning regulatory conditions and requirementswllich we must comply with in performing this project.
- Commonwealth Edison prepared.many submittals and*
the NRC prepared _an Environmental Impact Assessment early this year which cc:mcluded that the environmental impact* of the entire
. project will be minimal.
We had hoped to conduct the decontamination*.
Honorable Tom Corcoran
- - 2 ~
September 15, 1980 operation in late April of 1980: and we were awaiting approval of the Environmen_tal Impact Assessment and issuance o.f the necessary license changes by.the NRC.
In iate April we were
- informed by the NRC that the Director of Licensing had made a decision that an Environmental Impact Statement would have
-to be prepared and issued* for public comment.
This was a direct change from the* position that the NRC staff had recommended *.
NRC's estimate was-a four-month delay, and in our judgment we estimated* that four months was an absolute minimum.
The NRC issued: its.: Draft EIS-at~ the* end. of May.
The. lengthy** outage of Dresden 1 originally called for the* completion of a' number of important upgrades to the*
. system.
These* include' new: sa*fety injection systems and. structural modifications which the NRC: feels are required to bring the plant, which was originally li.censed in 1960, into. compliance
. with cer_tain current*.safety standards.
Of course_,. to do the work on. the primary system, it is* essential to.complete the chemical cleaning first,. so that workers will be exposed to a minim\\lm** of* radiation *.
Throughout 1979 and. especially.during 1980 the Commonwealth*Edison Company has been -faced*with.~erious revenue
- .. problems: which have*.affected. our cash position> and our. abil.ity to finance all.of the* projects.we have in progress.
We have* had to make significant.cuts: and.postponements in essential projects because: our cash situation-has left us no choice.:* In* line with_
our practice.of keeping* our NRC Project Manager informed, we*
explained in the Spring of 1980 that we would not be able to proceed with all of the design modifications-.to Dresden 1 on the original schedule* and. that major exp.enditures would have to be delayed.
After the decision by NRC to call for an Environmental Impact Statement and interject a minimum of four months delay, we were forced to look at our entire capital spending program and consider alternatives forOresden-1.
The delay and the uncertainty* of when the plant.could.be* returned to service, particularly considering the unpredictability of NRC licensing.*
decisions, led us. to conclude that all capital spending on Dresden 1 after the chemical cleaning should be deferred.
In light of *the necessity to spend a. large amount of money to complete* construction of the LaSalle and Byron nuclear stations, we concl.uded* that it would be necessary to defer even the decision*.about further spending on Dresden 1 until 1985.
This decision was reached. after.extensive internal reviews and_ discussions in early August and on August 14 a letter from our Licensing.Administrator to the NRC Project Office (attached) officially informed the NRC of this change. in. schedule.
- However, the NRC Project Manager had been kept up-to-date as our internal discussion proceeded.
Honorable Toni* Corcoran*
September 15,. 1980
- We curren.tly are awaiting the issuance of the NRC Environmental Impact Statement, ref.lecting changes that may have** been. made. as a result of the public: comment *.
period*,* wi.thin the next few days.
The statement will be is.sued* on an internal. basis' to NRC and on
- a.. similar basis to the: u. s*.
- EPA.for a. period of 30 days.
Barring unexpected.
developments. we now anticipate we will be able to initiate**
the chemical.cleaningaround* the beg-inning of December.
To; date: these delays< have resulted in additional direct. labor costs; of $J60', 000 which were not contemplated under* any of our previous schedules*..
Every additional month of delay increases: this:, amount by another $100, 000.
We ar.e* disappointed'. with the delays-and with the decisions* we: have had to make* concerning.the future of Dresden Unit 1.* r will see* to it* that you are kept informed of developments. concerning this and related matters in the. future *.
Sincerely, es J~. O'Connor and President
- Attachment