ML19263F055
| ML19263F055 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 10/29/1979 |
| From: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Edmonson L AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19263F056 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7911120333 | |
| Download: ML19263F055 (2) | |
Text
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October 29, 1979 Mr. Larry D. Edmonson P. O. Box 488 Harrisburg, PA 17108 This is in reply to your letter of September 19, 1979, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerning the situation when Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Station was first placed in commercial operation.
The NRC is not involved in a declaration by a utility that a nuclear power plant is in co - ercial operation. The NRC is involved in inspections of nuclear power plants before and after operation begins, which are carried out by the Orrice of Inspection and Enforcement.
In the case of Three Mile Island Unit 2. there were 39 NRC inspections at the plant during 1978. The date of initial criticality (start of a nuclear chain reaction) was March 28, 1973, and t% date of commerical cperation was December 30, 1978.
During that interval, there were some equipment failures but those known to the NRC were corrected.
An investigation after the accident at Three Mile Island brought to light a failure, since October 1978, to follow procedural requirements regarding the temperature of a discharge line from an electro-magnetic relief valve.
Following that procedure would have resulted in closure of a blocked valve downstream, which would have isolated the relief valve when it stuck open and prevented the accident.
You asked whether we have revised our ability to monitor other reactors.
In May 1977, the NRC adopted a resident inspection program.
The first resident inspectors were assigned to fifteen sites during the Summer of 1978. At present, there are resident inspectors at about forty sites of reactors operating or under construction. When the program is fully implemented in September 1981, at least as many resident inspectors will be assigned to each site of an operating nuclear power plant as there are operating power reactors there.
All of these resident inspectors will serve a tour of duty at their assigned plant, followed by rotation to another site, a regional office, or NRC headquarters.
Related activities currently underway by the NRC include the expansion of the resident inspection program at construction sites as well as at operating plants, the development of an equipment qualification program, and the in-dependent testing of nuclear components by both destructive and non-destructive methods.
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fir. Larry D. Edmonson October 29, 1979 We assure you that every effort is being made to ensure the continued protection of the public health and safety at all nuclear power plants that are currently operating or that may begin operation in the future.
Sincerely,
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Harold R. Denton, Director Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 2220 308
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