ML19208B792
| ML19208B792 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Point Beach  |
| Issue date: | 09/17/1979 |
| From: | Burstein S WISCONSIN ELECTRIC POWER CO. |
| To: | Patricia Anderson WISCONSIN, STATE OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7909210402 | |
| Download: ML19208B792 (2) | |
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v Wisconsin Electnc poun ca,pav Al u r '.bCm A1 MIL A AUKE E. WISCONSIN 53201 September 17, 1979 Mr. Peter Anderson, Public Affairs Officer WISCONSIN'S ENVIRONMENTAL DECADE 114 East Mifflin Street Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Dear Mr. Anderson:
STEA14 GENERATOR TUBE DEGRADATION POINT BEACli NUCLEAR PLANT This is in reply to your letter of September 6, 1979 which we received on the 14th in respect to tube failures experienced at Point Beach Unit 1 last month.
I enclose for your information copies of our reports on these outages to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
As you will note, the source of the leakages at Point Beach is attributable to crevice-corrosion cracPing of Lubes by residue of early feedwater treating chemicais.
We believe that these tube failures are serious, but because of the location and types of the failures involved, they do not constitute unresolved safety problems at the facility.
The need to shut down Unit 1 a second time in the same month, as you will note from the attached report, was due to an error in reading the eddy current inspection tapes.
This required the plugging of one tube that should have been included in the earlier outage work.
We are very much involved with programs that are intended to resolve these concerns, as well as any others that affect the continued reliable operation of Point Beach.
In the absence of any significant safety concern, however, withdrawing Unit 1 from service is certainly not appropriate.
In the light of our experience to date and in anticipation of future tubing deterioration, steam generator replacement is an economic rather than a safety consideration.
Such a replacement is not justified at present, but it may be at some time in the future.
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/eter Anderson September 17, 1979 The advantage to our customers occasioned by the clean,
' safe, reliable, and economical energy produced by Point Beach Nuclear Plant has been well demonstrated for nearly ten years.
Your implication that our present and anticipated tubing experiences at Point Deach are related to a major accident is not supportable.
Very truly yours, n
Sol Burstein Exe utive Vice President Enclosures Copics (Without Enclosures) to Messrs.
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Keppler, NRC, Region III
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Schwencer, NRC Stanley York, PSCW j 7' /?
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