ML19268C168
| ML19268C168 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 12/10/1979 |
| From: | Drake G AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| To: | Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8001030455 | |
| Download: ML19268C168 (3) | |
Text
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%Q GER ALD A. DR AKE. M D.
sItwAunameAvl.
FTTC&KCV, MICMIG AN A D TS O
.+
g%y 3 m, -.., m.. m t gp y
m, ter n, w W
g 4g John Ahearna, Acting Chnirtw.r.
j#
Ti ':ucient 'eculatory Comni:cion N / ImW
.'e.shington, O. C.
20555 P.E Spent fuel compt.ction at the :16 I o0' 1101 "r low *r IlaMt, Charlevoix, Michigan
- ccket :o. 50 - 155 Intervenore in the 2.'ueles.r legalatozr Connisalon proceee.ing en Con:unars Tower'c application to increase the spent fuel otornce capacit;. at '1; Poch, have recently requested that the pire.t be closed now.
For er.50 hair.ma.n, Joseph
- 'endrie, received a letter dated :.ov. 14, 1979, from d. q. vnnip hl, %ecutive
ice Presidant, Consumers Fower '/om; Any, Jackron, I.'ichie,v. concernir.i, ths mtter.
In 7.r. Young ldahl's letter he ::teted that : 1,,,,
<och ne,rm,1); d i e;.1, c e e the equivalent of 650,000 dsrr 1s of oil rar pers.
hi.3 1
but minute tractien or the 70,000,000 barrelt o f 011 per day rhich this coant r;
.c ".
?> th?r, it vould be much more effective and econonb to niininct the 5P,00 barrels, an!
nillions more, by such meneures as enr ;onis, m e: trent..:rt. tion tn a better automobile ".ileage th in to tttempt to re;1 ace it uit:. nuel ue, : n ;hnte.
In his letter he states that in 1970 ' u.m.:;.: nr n ' nu' low.It;*s evrott!
electricity st a cost of 0.96 cents per ':113wntthour inc1Wi:., fuel, arera ti;t
'"'.ain t enan ce ec '.ts.
Their coal pirr.tr aver,;.9d 1.f ' ennt.r 0: kilowa tt hour 2
end the oil-fired units t.veraged 2.19 cents.
Jn i.;ril 1979 Consumers Fower requeste ' cn annu?.1 r.te incre _re of J.,73 3,000 to cover an cetimated cost of ':13 3,00^,'" t o dio r.ntl-Jic '.cek in th: Jear 2000 0..er the Inst ten years !i; coch' a.nnun't outru; '.ac averated 32,013,00?
hilowatthours.
This figures out to 1 3? cent!. ;er kilo.mtthour for dic.entling.
i.dding this to the 0 96 cente for Consunars' nuci nr conerated 0 0tricity
. un t e.
to 2.29 cents which is nora thsn eith:r coal er oil.
...e s N itional costs of nucle r vsste dis;osal are yet unkno...
.'onsuners l ower has th ? tots 1 ce p cit; ta g n.' rat? 37' no.n electricit., t.a saak load requirement 3.
20l' excese onis 't '. ia cond i99 ! ndmune.
.i,, 'och
- roducee 1.' of 00ncum?r
- ' total.
Th ' ' m of L1;,.och's Or.ntity vauh he incignificant.
Proj*ctions ch3w thu ?x.oumers he.: enrCh c57aci;y to ex0eed the 20," reserve narcin for 25 yearc wit!.ont :15 '.ach.
'16 00% ni;-ht htt er te t'oth-talled now an! brou;;ht beh on 11.1? i f, m ' m.' n, t r.
alsetricity shortge develope in ':ichiran.
'c.ve baan,_ W.*9: v i t '- locaa '. nli s c au.? inti Mr. Youncia.51 said, thera r ttuck fuel roIn at ?iu ~;ock.
'his firs t c a.: re-in 1 M 3 In C:tei.or, 19H s tart-up var delayed been".te of one n -.::. rM niet ws freed tP n rnother failed to fur.ction beer.use of A.' i:. '.
?l-loven 1:
ri'. 0 bl e.
' ' 10 i{0 01080 N
bolt was 1/entified with 70 of then on the "tl rid-Sr bsr' r e nbly" which W.tr the fuel rods in the appropriate confl.;; ration.
her e o m r~e rf that S ee bolts had teen heat treated.
The u;;0r grid bolte wer rephced in 1N7.
Ir.
. wek.
It ws bliever enuoed
- in event report on January 2/,, in7B ro( r;oi:
1; a remnint from the 1367 crid bolt re;1t cenent proj ect.
anothar loer,e loli vie found this spring.
Fortunat e);,
a fe r, the control rot:e hav4 sto:k in the off position. 'ihe eituntion woulf easee t u e:+-ty of error were it not for the ceriou: ness of the matter.
Iic Rock is einssed as an experimental reactor.
hperiments have been done using different types of fuel and fuel cladding, reeulting in increased fuel failures and an increased release of radistion to the environment.
In 1977 Consumers signed a 015,000,000, eight yen.r contract with the inergy Research and Development Administration for the continuation of experiments at I:ig Rock on nuclear fuel performance.
Flutonium, in small amounts was first added to the fue) in 1969 In 1975 one hunf. red and ten pounds were lended into the reactor.
"he inhalation of a epeck of plutonium, the sice of an invitiblo ernin of pol? en, vouk rssult in a sood probability of developing lung cancer.
ilthoush the plant has stayed well vit;.in the !init n of r41ation rO a &e r: tes set by the iT.C, the health effecte fre a low 6.eaar tr
] w <!?:= re m of 3
radiation still remain basion 11y unkn:vn.
In June, 1970, the Interagene;r 'fark cerce on "eltb Mfr m af lontri:,, ' fintin reported that henith effects from 1:v lecW e of ra'ltetien, the ;pe routimly relensed from nuclear power plant e, r.r.y l e cre~.ter tMn mW.
Two "atiend Acadeny of Sciences Cor.mittees, one t: atudy 1104: 'rncin tad with :;ucienr Tower and the other on the :iological ffects of Ianh irs 'ndiation III, estinated this year that between 2,000 anr' ?,7?
10 w vill die from radiation from nuclear power during the last qutrter of thir century.
'. h e often repented statement thst no member of the public h r liad fron nuc1*:r power is simply not valid according to ther studiac.
Tic Rock has been ?own for eight nonths this yesr que te t leak and a 1000a diffuser pinte.
It was a loose diffucer plate, or -!.ilar type pinte, which caused the partini melt down at Fermi I, in yonroe County, Fichigan in 19M.
The ;"C hu recently requested thxt studice N don.. en cantninent buildirc shielding on the 10 oldest nuclear plant: in the l'.
Jii, Rock is one of thea.
The shielding is apparently pernenble t: cc. r.n radiatler..
Cne of the peceP111-ties under consideration for eliminatinc thin hn.rf 10 to hild Such concrete ello, with walls 2 to 3 feet t e.ich, *rau11 the cont = ir.w.t hi'. ding.
If the pr?sent shielding cannot prevent the ace ;e of y:m rrtiation, in the ev: n; of a loss of coolant neci:ent, one can rmnntly wi, v..,
is th-p2nm Glou ' to operate nou?
.Mr ther, V..;
choul.- %e rite psyarr is e.seile., with a t v:>M; te o formidable cost for such a silo, r r " ell s the probrt1; cror:1y u W recti,ntad
?,000,000 for compaction of tha n;en* fra re(r, et t&is W ti, unna-ded, prenaturely nced plent*
In summir;' then, ig :'ock 1:.:: t
.;WJ m :. ne;.rcer T-w 'ed, it it w of the oMest in the couatry, Sn: uri m gr.tl e: an-c q wn: given ;mr.
ne.t CXemption fron neetin; th?
.' ' s *;;rr ? n t " > f e '., 2 *... irft,
" a,:lnnt Oaull
- r:11 be mot'. ttller and ;rouj.it teel'. n 21.e if i; r-: ir, :. -
- +. :. 21 <'
Feni vith the.* ent fuel ;ri:lem th r..
If..- r. 1 x 0 ? n m ;ir., 1; ;,i:.; it 0 use if for a:.:;erinentel pur;nes
.tu
,erir-nte b.*
.e r ene cf '.he n : 10..1 nucle r re rer'.tti'.a ;.:anf:., :. u-..
': a, s;
.- o e
../.m.
'I.ar.
"incerel;, Youre,
/
7
/
4-
/ c v
Gerald A. T. rake, *. D.
- p. "../edr cc: Governor lillia.: l'1111k en U. 3..terresentatives otert ravic n:: "ob e: t 'arr U. O. Senators arl 1.evin and Dan It'. 7.i ecl e State Senator I'. itch Irwin State u.e;resenta tive Chr.rles var:lte-ronald VanFarove, Chief of Radiolo-10 'arlth,
t'ichic,nn Ste.te :'enit'a Ocprt-ent Robert Fo11ard, Con ul tine a:;ineer, The Union of Conc erned 5:$ e.ti.-. c