ML19217A186

E-Mail from M. Layton/Nrc to K. Walker/Public San Onofre - SONGS Special Inspection - Damaged Canisters

ML19217A186
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	08/02/2019
From:	Michael Layton Division of Spent Fuel Management
To:	Walker K - No Known Affiliation
Marcano D
References
Download: ML19217A186 (3)

Text

Layton, Michael From: Layton, Michael Sent: Friday, August 02, 2019 12:04 PM To: Kale Walker Cc: Regan, Christopher; Howell, Linda; Shane, Raeann; Marcano, Damaris

Subject:

RE: San Onofre - SONGS Special Inspection - Damaged Canisters Ms. Walker, Thank you for your email. There have been many developments associated with the Holtec UMAX system in use at the San Onofre ISFSI since your initial e-mail of March 21, 2019. I am able to address the following three of the points raised in your e-mail:

The downloading technology necessary to center the canisters to 1/2" accuracy through the guide ring.

Edison's improved worker training, procedures and management will not fix the problem of damaging canisters or damaged canisters, Why has the NRC not written up the damaged canisters problem as an unusual event?

NRC conducted a special inspection of the August 3, 2018 incident involving the lowering of a UMAX multi-purpose-canister (MPC) at the San Onofre ISFSI. We issued a written report on Nov. 28, 2018, summarizing our findings and an errata published on December 19, 2018. Three Severity Level IV violations were identified and a civil penalty of $116,000 was assessed. Corrective actions taken by SCE include additional personnel training requirements, revised operating procedures, and the addition of equipment including load monitoring instruments, remote cameras to monitor the MPC location and a tag-line indicator for physical verification of the MPC position during downloading. We consider the corrective actions that Edison has taken will enable the company to safely resume fuel loading, which they have done. In the months ahead, we plan to conduct frequent unannounced inspections to verify regulatory compliance and ensure the adequacy of their corrective actions.

Regarding your inquiry about the classification of the August 3, 2018 event, the NRC reviewed and approved the licensee's emergency plan, which provides a graded response to emergencies at SONGS based on postulated accidents and events at the site while decommissioning and in a permanently defueled condition. During the misalignment event, the licensee did not meet the definition of an unusual event, because the Holtec canister confinement boundary was not compromised, as indicated by radiation levels. In summary, due to the very low risk of consequences to public health and safety resulting from the postulated accidents related to these conditions, the emergency categories may either be a Notification of Unusual Event or an Alert. The licensee's manual of emergency events describing these categories and notifications is available in the Agencywide Documents Access Management System (ADAMS) under Accession No. ML17361A080 and the Emergency Plan is available under ADAMS Accession No. ML17143A009.

Additional information regarding these and other SONGS cannister issues is available on the NRC website:

https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/songs-spec-insp-activities-cask-loading-misalignment.html I appreciate your feedback, if you have any additional questions please contact me.

MCL 1

Michael C. Layton, Director Division of Spent Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 3014159956 From: Kale Walker <ggchappykale@yahoo.com>

Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2019 11:38 AM To: Layton, Michael <Michael.Layton@nrc.gov>

Cc: Howell, Linda <Linda.Howell@nrc.gov>; Saverot, Pierre <Pierre.Saverot@nrc.gov>; heather_hutt@harris.senate.gov; mike@mikelevin.org; Tom.palmisano@sce.com; mark.lombard@nrc.com; radwaste@rwma.com; kitbob@erols.com; Ken.alex@gov.ca.gov; Joseph.street@coastal.gov; Andrew.griffith@nuclear.energy.gov; Kevin.barker@energ.ca.gov; CHAIRMAN Resource <CHAIRMAN.Resource@nrc.gov>; CMRBARAN Resource <CMRBARAN.Resource@nrc.gov>;

cmrsvinicki@nrc.gov; CMRCaputo Resource <CMRCaputo.Resource@nrc.gov>; CMRWright Resource

<CMRWright.Resource@nrc.gov>; cmrburnes.resource@nrc.gov; Taylor, Renee <Renee.Taylor@nrc.gov>

Subject:

[External_Sender] San Onofre SONGS Special Inspection Damaged Canisters To: NRC Regarding NRC Special Inspection webcast SONGS March 25 Cask Loading Issues https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1906/ML19066A103.pdf San Onofre Damaged Canisters Holtec Public alarm is growing as more and more flaws in the Holtec UMAX nuclear waste storage system at San Onofre come to light.

Surely on Monday the NRC will assure the public that Edison will not be allowed to continue loading nuclear waste into the Holtec storage system that damages canisters in the downloading process.

https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/opsexperience/songsspecinsp/faq.pdf The Holtec loading system lacks the precision downloading technology necessary to center the canisters to 1/2 accuracy through the guide ring.

Edisons improved worker training, procedures and management will not fix the problem of damaging canisters or damaged canisters.

This is a Holtec engineering design problem. It is a manufacturers defect.

And it creates unacceptable potential short and long term risks for Southern California.

The NRC must stop any further loading of Holtec canisters at SONGS.

The Holtec UMAX system is defective and must be Recalled. http://bit.ly/SaveSanO The link ed be d isplay e hav e been ren amed, o Verify that to the corr location.

2

Extremely concerning is that the NRC Inspection Report (3/18/2019) makes no mention of the Damaged Canisters safety issue. Why has the NRC not written up the damaged canisters problem as an unusual event? https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML19071A349 The NRC must not make decisions that California will have to pay the financial burden to correct.

Sincerely, Kalene Walker 3