ML19339A907
| ML19339A907 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Yankee Rowe |
| Issue date: | 08/08/1974 |
| From: | Ray D US ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (AEC) |
| To: | Sargent F MASSACHUSETTS, COMMONWEALTH OF |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8011050680 | |
| Download: ML19339A907 (3) | |
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hcq Ilonorable Francis W. Sargent Governor of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts 02133
Dear Govesnor Sargent:
I understand from recent newspaper reports that Mr. Ralph Nader haa written to you concerning the safety of a nuclear plant which the AEC
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has licensed to operate in the State of Massachusetts - Yankee Atomic El ctric Company's Yankee Rowe Nuclear Plant in Franklin County.
Apparently, Mr. Nader has misunderstood or misused information about reac-
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tor pressure vessels contained in reports issued by the Advisory Committee '
on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and the AEC Regulatory staff, and in corre-
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...... 71 spondence with Mr. Nader from the Chairman of the ACRS, Dr. William R.
Stratton, and the Director of Regulation, Mr. L. M. Muntzing.
Copies of
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these documents and correspondence are enclosed for your reference. The ACRS and the Regulatory staff reports deal primarily with reactor vessels designed and fabricated in accordance with today's nuclear pressure vessel codes.
Mr. Muntzing's May 2 letter discussed ten early generation vessels that were designed and constructed to pressure vessel codes in effect during the period of manufacture, and that are still continuing to operate safely in nuclear power plants.
These earlier pressure vessel codes contained rules that reflected the satisfactory experience with vessels in nunerous fossil-fueled power plants throughout the United States. In fact, the construction of the earlier vessels was guided also by nucicar standards and codes developed by and used in the Naval reactors program.
Older reactor vessels, cuch as the one at Yankee Rowe, are not less safe to operate than the vessels built to today's codes. The current nuclear pressure vessel codes nerely reflect requirements that include advances in the pressure vessel technology since the period of manufacture of the earlier reactor vessels.
Both the ACRS and the Regulatory staff reports conclude that the proba-d bility of a disruptive failure of any reactor pressure vessel is exceedingly small. In fact, recent tests supported by the AEC hee
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AUG 8 1974 Honorable Francis W. Sargent '
demonstrated that vessels which were deliberately flawed withstood pressures almost twice as great as they are designed to sustain in opern-tion. I*evertheless, as a matter of conservative Regulatory practice, the staff requires that all reactor pressure vessels, including the one at Yankee Rowe, be subject to stringent inspection, surveillance and testing
' Die conduct and results of these prograns are carefully pro grams.
monitored and evaluated by the Regulatory staff, ih_:pite this, I under-su stand that Mr. Nader has suggested to you that such progrens do not exist
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appropriate action.
and that you should tr' i
If it would be helpful, I would be pleased to have appropriate members of the Regulatory staff discuss this matter with you and/or members of your s taf f.
In the meantime, please let me know if I can provide you with additional information about the AEC's Regulatory responsibilities for g
protecting the public health and safety.
Sincerely, EEr" Original signed by Dixy Lee Ray Chairman
Enclosures:
1.
Rpt to AEC fm ACRS dtd Dis tribution January 14, 1974, WASII-1285
(.Sc.29)
FDR 2.
Ltr fm ACRS, Stratton to Nader LPDR's dtd March 13, 1974 OGC l-3.
Ltr fm AEC, Muntzing to Hadcr SECY (3) j' dtd May 2, 1974 OCR (3) 4.
Technical Report by AEC Reg. Staff L E,tcing dtd May 1974, UASII-1318 ECCase.
FSchroeder ec w/encls:
DR Reading File Senator Edward M. Kennedy Central Files Senator Edward W. Brooke FLIngram, OIS Representative Silvio Conte DRGL bec: See attached list
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CRESS orrice
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'bec: Attached 13c
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Consolidated Edison Company p-3 Consumers Power Company sm -/ 5 b' f
of New York, Inc.
ATTN: Mr. Ralph B. Sewell R"
. Nuclear Licensing Administrator ATTN:.Mr. William J. Cahill, Jr.
.212 West Michigan Avenue Vice President 4 Irving Place Jackson, Michigan 49201
..,.. js New York, New-York 10003 f
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Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Dairyland Power Cooperative 5 oA7 ATTN:
Mr. Philip D. Raymond ATTN; Mr. John P. Madgett T[?
' Vice President - Engineering General Manager.
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300 Erie Boulevard West 2615 East Avenue, South'
. Syracuse, New York 13202 n-a ss La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601 Jersey Central Power & Light Company i
ATTN:
Mr. E. R. Finfrock, Jr.
Vice President - Generation G2 - N 7 1
Madison Avenue at Pcnch: Bowl Road Morristown, New Jersey _07960
+g Connecticut Yankee Atonic Power Comapany
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AITN; Mr. O. C. Switzer
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. President
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P. O. Box 270 Hartford, Connecticut 06101 g
Yankee Atomic Electric Company
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G. Carl Andognini, Assistant to the 54 -J 7
....1 Vice President
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20 Turnpike Road Westboro, Massachusetts 01581 S8thern California Edison Co.
g-a a.o t ATTN:
Mr. Jack B. Moore Vice President 2244 Walnut Grove Avenue P. O. Box 800 Rosemead, California 91770 Comonwealtn Edison Company
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w ATTN:
Mr. J. S. Abel i
Nuclear Licensing Acministrator Boiling Water Reactors P. O. Box 767 Chicago, Illinois 60690
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Pacific Gas & Electric Company D 'j33 ATTN:
Mr. Fredrick T. Searls Vice President and General Counsel 77 Beale Street San francisco, California 94106 i
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