ML18278A284
| ML18278A284 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/11/2018 |
| From: | Matt Bartlett, Jessie Quintero, Beverly Smith, Thomas Vukovinsky Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, NRC/RGN-II |
| To: | |
| BARTLETT | |
| References | |
| Download: ML18278A284 (21) | |
Text
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Meeting on the Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility October 11, 2018 Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, Safeguards, and Environmental Review Brian Smith, Acting Director Matt Bartlett, Project Manager Jessie Quintero, Environmental Project Manager Region II, Division of Fuel Facility Inspection Thomas Vukovinsky, Senior Project Inspector
Agenda
- NRC Introduction
- Westinghouse and Fuel Fabrication
- License Renewal Process
- Safety Review
- Environmental Review
- NRC Oversight
- Inspection and Enforcement
- Leaks in 2008, 2011, and 2018 2
NRC Mission The NRC licenses and regulates the Nations civilian use of radioactive materials to provide reasonable assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety, and to promote the common defense and security, and to protect the environment.
3
Who We Are and What We Do Regulations and Guidance Licensing and Operational Support for Decommissioning Experience Decisions
- Licensing
- Decommissioning Oversight
- Inspection
- Assessment of Performance
- Enforcement
- Allegations
- Investigations
- Incident Response 4
Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility
- Located in Hopkins, SC
- 1969: Original license issued
- License renewed 4 times
- 2027: Current license expires
- 5th license renewal currently under review
- Manufactures fuel assemblies for use in commercial nuclear power plants 5
Fuel Fabrication Process
License Renewal Process License Application and Environmental Hearing Hearing Adjudicatory Report Requested? (if granted) Decision SAFETY REVIEW License Application and Integrated Safety Analysis NRCs Requests Coordinate NRCs Site Renewal Acceptance Additional with Other Visits Decision Review Information Agencies ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Environmental Assessment Environmental Impact and Finding of No or Statement and Significant Impact Record of Decision 7
Safety Review Program Elements General Information Emergency Management Organization and Environmental Protection Administration Integrated Safety Analysis Decommissioning Radiation Protection Management Measures Material Control and Criticality Safety Accounting Chemical Process Safety Fire Safety Physical Protection 8
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Review Air Quality
- Evaluate the environmental effects of the facility operating Land use for another 40 years Noise and Aesthetics
- Document results in an Ecology Environmental Assessment (EA)
Socioeconomics
- Re-open the NEPA review due Transportation to leaks Water Quality and Use - Will issue draft EA for public review and comment 9
NEPA Review 10
- Analyze for disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects on low-income and minority populations
- NRC has a Policy Statement that provides guidance for performing EJ analyses
- Previous EAs did not include EJ analysis because there were no significant impacts
- Decision to conduct EJ analysis will follow process outlined in Policy Statement 11
Oversight
- Verify Westinghouse is meeting the regulatory requirements as described in their license
- Assess the overall safety performance of the facility by reviewing trends
- Issue violations if regulatory requirements are not met Level of violation (severity) ranges from I to IV 12
2018 Leak - Event
- June 2018: Leak occurred at Spiking Station #2 Pipe coupling leak Hydrofluoric acid and uranyl nitrate No workers injured Damage to liner and concrete floor Small Crack in Chemicals seeped into the soil Concrete Under the Liner
- July 2018: NRC and SC 48 Department of Health and 67 Environmental Control 19 (DHEC) notified 13
2018 Leak - Response
- NRC completed an inspection Sept 18-21 and issued a Level IV violation
- Westinghouse must respond to the violation within 30-days
- Westinghouse completed an apparent cause evaluation, implemented compensatory measures, and continues to take corrective actions
- Westinghouse is still determining the extent of the leak into the subsurface and coordinating with DHEC for further actions
- Results of the sampling will be evaluated in the license renewal review 14
2018 Leak - Next Steps
- DHEC approved Westinghouse Soil Sampling Plan
- Phase I (completed): Conduct 12 borings and collect samples from the area under the dike to a depth of up to 5 feet and analyze results for contamination levels
- Phase II (completed): Conduct additional borings and collect samples down to approximately 12 feet
- Phase III (if necessary): Obtain ground water samples below the dike for analysis
- Compensatory measures put in place for operating Hydrogen Fluoride Spiking Station #1:
- Hourly piping leak checks
- Protective mats placed on liner if an operator needs to walk on liner
- Following any entry to diked area, the liner integrity check will be completed
- Liner integrity check frequency changed from annual to quarterly 15
2008 and 2011 Leaks
- Westinghouse found leaks in 2008 and 2011 in an underground piping system that goes from the facility to the wastewater treatment plant
- Westinghouse implemented corrective actions
- Re-routed acidic and/or caustic solutions
- Portions of the line inside the building were re-routed above ground
- Piping was re-lined 16
2008 and 2011 Leak - Next Steps
- January 2018: Westinghouse initiated effort to further characterize and determine extent of leaks Drilled temporary wells to obtain water samples to determine extent of contamination, if any Efforts are ongoing Results will be evaluated in the license renewal review 17
Decommissioning
- Westinghouse is required to decommission the site once operations have ceased and clean up to allow for unrestricted use
- NRC reviews and approves Westinghouses decommissioning funding plan every 3 years
- NRCs Decommissioning Planning Rule 18
Closing Remarks
- License renewal review is ongoing
- Draft EA will be published for public comment
- Safety Evaluation Report will document the conclusions of the safety review
- Oversight and Inspection
- Completed the inspection and issued a violation
- Westinghouse must respond to the violation
- Westinghouse continues to investigate the leaks 19
For More Information
- Visit the NRCs website at https://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/fc/westinghouse-fuel-fab-fac-sc-lc.html
- Find documents online in the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html
- Contact NRC staff
- Matthew.Bartlett@NRC.gov or 301.415.7154
- Jessie.Quintero@NRC.gov or 301.415.7476 20
Acronyms DHEC Department of Health and Environmental Control EA Environmental Assessment EJ Environmental Justice NEPA National Environmental Policy Act SC South Carolina 21