ML20030B346
| ML20030B346 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Zion File:ZionSolutions icon.png |
| Issue date: | 07/29/1981 |
| From: | Quigg C ILLINOIS SAFE ENERGY ALLIANCE |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTION & ENFORCEMENT (IE) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML18058B973 | List: |
| References | |
| FOIA-92-436 NUDOCS 8108100433 | |
| Download: ML20030B346 (3) | |
Text
- To:
I:1 rector of Inspection and Zaforc emnt U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Counnis sio=
'sa shing tun, D.C, 20555 FRCM:
Illinois Safe EnerEy Alliance F.O. Box h69 Antioch, Illinnis 60002 RE:
Cor=c= wealth 3dison s 2 ion Station: LacIc of 'n'a.W Systars a
Co==cmwealth 741 son ha s f ailed to eemply vi th the U.S.
Nuclear Core:issicn 's (.YEC ) July 1, 1981 dead 7ine for ins ta.114ng a 15-mimte notification system to warn the pubific in the ERC 's 10 mile radioacti' plume exposure pathway in case of a serious accident at te Zion Nuclear Station.
Be KEC 's requirements are clearly specified in the Federal Register, August 19, 1960:
1481 the nuclear pover reac tor liy July 1shall de,monstrate tha e ah4n4 strative censee "a n* phy sic al me ans ha ve b e en e s te bli she d for alerting and providing prompt instructions to the pubide within the plume expo sure pathway The desi n objective shall be to have EPZ.
5 the capability to essentially complete the no tifieation of $ e public within the plume exp,osure pa thway EPZ witb4n about 15 minutes.*
(h> F.R. 554c2, 55412, Augu st 19, 1980) i NBC also stated in the above-mentioned Federal ReE ster notice:
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"...Nr oover, there may never be an accident M
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requiring using the 15-minute notification
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jf Cq c apabili ty.
However, the e ssential rationale
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behind emergency pk nin6 1 site 3previde 5
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15-mirute notification capability reg:irement yN hm \\(,p is wholly consis tent with tha t rationale. "
(45 F.R. 55402, 55407, August 19, 1960)
D Bere is a special urgency for the 15-d=ute no tificationssyntan in the Zion area because the Zicn reac tors ha ve a type of ;ressure vessel which may be vulnerable to cracks.
Bese cracks, according to se=e scientists, would be difficult to detect before they caused a ruptare in the pressure vessel around the reacter care.
The f aderal go vernment 's Reac ter Saf ety Study (WASE-lh00) varns that c ertain pressure vessel ruptures could cause a piece of the i
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pres sure vessel _ ta be propelled like a nissile l
throu.gn ne esnerete containment wall areund the pressure vessel.
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~2:.e Reac te r Sa fe ty Stu dy says : "This type o f : 1pture could involve a core =eltdown in a non-intact contain=ent"; explaining tha t a reac tor ve ssel rupture leads direc tly to a core neltdown.
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we can see tha t the concrete contmiment building, the last line of engineered defense against the release of vast quantitie s of radioac tivity to the at=osphere, c an be penetrated.
l This kind of c a ta s trophie accident pos sibility at 7, ion da ends the most stringent, the nost exacting applica tion of e=ergency prepared-ne ss s tandards.
There can be no thought of capitulation to what is economical for the licensee or expedient for the KRC, We are" talM mg about the live s of nillions of people.
In failing to comply with these NIC regula tions Conmonwealth Fdison has shown gross disregard for the safe ty anf weil-being of the residents of the NRC *s 10 mile radioactive plume exposure e.mergency pls: ni g zone.
t tHEREPOR3:
the Illi nnis Safe Energy fili anc e, representing certain I
residents of the Zion emergency planning area, hereby requests that the DLrector of the Office of Inspec t"on and Enforcenent institute a proceeding pursus.nt to.:Sec tion 2.202 of the Code of Federal Regula tions to show cause why the Zion Nuclear Station Units 1 and 2 abould not cease operatien until Co:=cnvealth Edison is able to eo= ply with the NB:: *s emergeney planning requirement s.
Signed: _
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00 Ca the rine q: igg, =ezbe.r Illinois Sa'e E::ergy Alliance (312/381-6695) d d
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION i
Office of Inspection and Enforcement i
Victor Stello, Director In the Patter of
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Docket Nos. 50-295 and 50-304 (10 CFR 2.206) 1 COMM3tNEALTH EDISDN COMPANY (Zion Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2)
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DIRECTOR'S DECISION UNDER 10 CFR 2.206
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By petition dated July 29, 1981, the Illinois Safe Energy Alliance (petitioner) requested the Director of the Office of Inspection and Enforcement to institute a proceeding pursuant to 10 CFR 2.202 to require Conmonwealth Edison Company (the licensee) to show cause why the Zion Nuclear Station Units i
1 and 2 should not cease operation until the licensee complies with the Connission's emergency planning requirements.
This request has been considered j
under the provisions of 10 CFR 2.206 of. the Comission's regulations.
The basis for the petitioner's request ;is.its_ assertion that Comanwealth,,,
Edisen Company has failed to comply with the requirement set forth in 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E. IV.D.3. which requires that:
By July 1,1981, the nuclear power reactor licensee shall demonstrate that administrative and physical means have been established for alerting and providing prompt instruction to the public within the plume exposure pathway emergency planning zone.
The design objective shall be to have the capability to essentially complete the initial notification of the public within 15 minutes.
The petitioner contends there is a special urgency to implement the 15 minute notification system for the Zion facilities because the Zion reactors have a type of pressure vessel which may be vulnerable to undetectable cracks which could cause a rupture in the pressure vessel around the reactor core.
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2-Certain pressure vessel ruptures, petitioner contends, could result in accidents with significant offsite releases.
Thus, the Zion facility should be held to
" exacting application of emergency preparedness standards."
The staff has evaluated the Illinois Safe Energy Alliance request.
For the reasons set forth below, I have determined that no proceeding should be instituted to require Comonwealth Edison Company to show cause why its Zion facilities should not be shut down until they meet Comission emergency planning requirements.
While this licensee's compliance with the prompt notification requirement -
f has been delayed (as is the case with most ;other similarily affected licensees). f i
the NRC considers that emergency plans and preparedness have significantly improved within the last year at and around Zion and every nuclear power plant site.
This significant improvement has been confirmed by NRC teams who have visited a representative number of plant sites to evaluate the licensees' -
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compliance with the upgraded emergency planning regulations of August 1980 -
l In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NRC have monitored numerous nuclear emergency exercises involving State and local governments and the licensees, and again have witnessed a significant general improvement in onsite and offsite emergency preparedness.
In response to the NRC's request for infomation dated July 1,1951, the licensee described the existing notification systems in place for the Zion station.
l The current alerting capability relies on existing sirens where they are available i
to alert the public.
Siren systems are available in North Chicago, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, and Zion, Illinois and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
State, county, and UThe Comission has published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix E IV.D.3. to extend the date to February 1,1982, by which prompt notification systems must be operational around all nuclear power plants.
46 FR 45587 (September 21,1981).
The comment period on the proposed amendment expires October 21, 1981.
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s local emergency vehicles will be used to notify the reminder of the population i
not covered by the installed sirens.
The licensee reports that State vehicles
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would be used to supplement coverage in areas where county and local coverage i
is inadequate.
County and local procedures are in place for vehicle routing by emergency dispatchers.
With regard to the possible generation of cracks in the Zion pressure vessel, on the basis of our review of the PWR Owners Group's responses and the PWR licensees' responses to our letter of April 20, 1981, and on the basis of our independent analysis, the staff has determined that all operating plants could I
withstand a severe overcooling event for at least another year of full power operation.
Further action will be taken to resolve the long term problems, but in this case Zion does not present a unique urgency related to the implementation i
of emergency planning.
Based on the above information and on a recognition that there exists a I
customary warning system (police, radio, telephone), which is viewed as sufficiently effective in many postulated accident scenarios, the Comission is proposing to defer the implementation date of the prompt notification capability requirement from July 1,1981, to February 1,1982.
In view of the above, I find that there exists sufficient reason to believe that appropriate protective measures can and will be taken for the protection of the health and safety of the public near the Zion facilities in the event of a radiological emergency during the proposed extended time period for full compliance with Appendix E.
The Zion site does not pose unique circumstances that should be the subject of Comission action apart from consideration of the generic rule change.
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't A copy of this decision will be filed with the Secretary for the Comission's review in accordance with 10 CFR 2.206(c) of the Connission's regulations. As ti provided in 10 CFR 2.206(c), this decision will constitute the final action of I'
the Comission twenty-five (25) days after the date of issuance, unless the Comission on its own motion institutes the review of this decision within that time.
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' 'I Vi ser Stello, fr./ Director Office of Inspection and Enforcement Dated at Bethesda, Maryland, 4
this 29th day of September 1981.
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