ML20125B128

Responds to T Hamrick Expressing Concern Re Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Plants.Forwards Info Included in Des.Also Forwards AEC Safety Evaluation of Piqua Decommissioning

ML20125B128
Person / Time
Site:	Davis Besse
Issue date:	10/11/1979
From:	Eisenhut D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Hamrick T AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
Shared Package
ML20125B130	List: ML20125B128 ML20125B133
References
NUDOCS 7910240183
Download: ML20125B128 (4)

Text

.

D s

'H UNITED STATES s f  %

f 9, - .. ^/ j E NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20S55 7s >?p%g a . '!

'% ..s

e' October 11, 1979 Ms. Tracey Hamrick hD gu b rd -'%

2752 - 130th St.

' Toledo, Ohio 43611 D{ i Cear Ms. Hamrick:

Your letter of March 19, 1979 has only recently beer, brought to rqy attention.

I apologize for our delay in responding to your concerns about decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other reactors.

The public is informed of decommissioning alternatives during the licensing process for nucicar power plants prior to our authorization of plant operation.

This is accomplished in our Environmental Statement for each nuclear power plant. Environmental Statements in draft form are issued for comment to state and county officials as well as many federal agencies prior to their being finalized. Enclosure 1 is a copy of the information that was included in the Draft Environmental Statement for Davis-Besse Nucles. Power Mation, Unit No.1, in Ottawa County, Ohio, dated November 1972. Various alternatives for decommissioning are discussed.

Prior to our authorization of any decommissioning action of any reactor, we .

evaluate the potential effects of the decommissioning on the health and safety of the public and the environment. Your letter indicates that you may have particular interest in the Piqua Reactor in Piqua, Ohio. The Piqua Reactor was a small 45'.5 megawatt organic cooled reactor that was decommissioned in 1969.

' Enclosure 2 is a copy of the safety evaluation by the Atomic Energy Commission of the Piqua decommissioning. The Piqua Reactor was defueled and entombed as discussed in the enclosed safety evaluation. The Department of Energy con-tinues to monitor the Piqua facility annually to verify adequate retention of residual r'adioactive material. There has been no evidence of release of any

' radioactivity to the environment. .The City of Piqua uses the reactor contain-rent building as a warehouse. Radiation levels in the warehouse are reduced to essentially background levels by concrete shielding which covers the remain-ir.g radioactive structures.

'e NRC has published a " Plan for Reevaluation of NRC Policy on Decommissioning' of Euclear Facilities" (NUREG 0436, dated December 1978) which is available 7910240 D'

[' .

• s Ms. Tracey Hamrick from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

We hope that this letter is responsive to your concerns, incerely,

- s y ) jf.1

                                                    . rell G. Ei1       , n   1 g Director Division of Operating Reactors Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

Enclosures:

1. Draft Environ. Stmt.

for Davis-Besse Unit No. 1

2. Safety,Evalua. Re:

Piqua Decommissioning 6 e e 9

• O

LEficTDTOMO

 .                                                               s                                 r p

t

                                                '8-9                                               ,-

r - e [

                                                                                                     "[ji _

to about 250 tilliret/ year. For the 2,052,000 people living within 50 5, ['i niles of the Davis-Besse Station (1970), this aneunts to a total , Gs. ; population dose of about 290,000 ma n-r en/ y r . The results of a Public ' - ~ " Mcalth Service survey made in 1964 indicated that. the dose to the pcpula tion averaged cbout 55 millirca per year per individual f ron :5 E= - diagnostic radiation. This would contribute about 13,000 man-ren/yr '" to the repuistion considered here. Thus, the total population dose

      . at tributed to the routine opera tion of this Sta tien (2 2 ran-re /yr) is very cra11 corpared with the doses frow natural background and nedical diagnestic radiation.                                                                    i.

t k; 8.3 RELATIONSHIP EETk'EEN LOCAL SHORT-TEPS USES OF D.N ' S INV1E0m!ENTI

                   /SD TEE MAINTENANCE AND ETMNCEVENT OF LONC-TE?d IRCOUCTIVITY                         };. . . .

=-

                                                                                                          =p The carshlands along the lake Erie shore are a valuable ecological fisi resourc e tha t should be conserved. The use of the site for a genera ting In fact, the arrangements                 4Er station sill not conflict with this goal.                                                         6Eur which have been made between the applicant and the U. S. Bureau of Sport       Fisheries and k'ildlif e vill further the interests of conservation by in'c reasing the. cxtent and itproving the quality of the marshland                           29x
         'available as a vildlif e refuge.                                                                : ::.    .

Tne renoval of about 150 acres of rarginal f armland frem cultivation p;7_ r 2 will have an insignificant effect on .the agricultural preductivity of the ar ca, and this land ceuld conceivably be restored to its original If;; ccndition, at considerable expense, for use as farmland or for some g?ff ether purpose such as public recreation. However, the expenditure of ?i? nany' millions of do,11ars for this purpose seems unlikely, even af ter .'.T.?_ ; the end of the useful life of the present equipment, if the need for diEn itser still demands the existence of a large generating station in this  ;-;- a r ca . The Applicant points out that , historically, boiler s become cbsclescent before turbine generators. Advances in technology vill ~~" undoubtedly produce rcre ef ficient nuclear generators during the design ="2 lif e of the pr esent equipment (30 ycars) and the Applicant's tentative ~~" prediction is' that the present reactor and steam generators vill be replac ed by an advanced design, opera. ting at higher temperature and _ _ _ gnpr pressure, and driving a high pressure topping type turbine ahead of syf the cxisting turbine generator. Such improvements could estend the ~~ lif e of the station to 75 years or core. ,In tha t cas e , the following F-

           ; : e s e n t- da ;. estic.ates of deccrrissiening procedures and cests rey be

' :: :tf ul validity.

E .3.5 Dccennissiening Station Af ter Operating Lif e ,

            . . C c nr.ir s ic n 's cur ren t regula tions cont empla te de tailed censideration i:::nnissicrf g ncar the end ef a reacter's useful life. The licensee                          (("
           . . ..ates such censiderstic.n by preparing a propcsed deccmaissicni ng p lan                       p.
                                                                                                                  .W' f

l l

 *                                                                    %                                                   a 1-                                                       8 10 f'
                                                                                                                          ~

which is submitted to the AEC for review. The licensee vill be re- , ' ". . . . - quired to' cc= ply with Ce==ission regulations then in ef fect and decct=1.csiening of the f acility ray not conne.nce vi:hout authori-  ;

                 =atien frem the AIC. ,,          , _ , _ ,

g;; To date, experience with decommissiening of civilian nuclear power

               . reactors is limited to six facilities which have been shut down or d is r.an t l ed : hallan Suelear Pever Tacility, Carelina Virginia Tube Reactor (CVTR), Boiling Nuclear Superheater (BOSUS) Power Statien, Pathfinder Rcac. tor, Piqua Reactor, and the Elk River React or.

There are several alternatives which can be and hav: been used in the decor.missiening of reactors: (1) Ecceve the Ef :el (possibly folle.ted by decentamination procedures); seal and cap the pipes; and establish an exclusien area around the facility. The Piqua - deco ==issioning eperation was typical of this apprcach. (2) In EE-additien to the steps outlined in (1), remove the superstructure .,. and encase in concrete all radioactive portiens which retain above - '=" ground. The Hallse deco =missioning eperation was of this type. .

                 ,(3) Receve .the fuel, all superstructure, the reacter vessel and all contaninated equipment and facilities, and finally fill all                                                 =..

cavities with clean rubble tepped with carth to grade level. This last procedure is being applied in dece==issienin the Elk River

             . Feactor. Alternative decenmissioning procedures (1) and (2) would require leps-terc' surveillance of the reactor site.                    After a final check to assure that all reactor-produced radioactivity has been                                 . . . .;.;;;.

recoved, alternative (3) veuld not require any subsequent surveil- F """ lance. Possible ef fect of erosion or flooding vill be included in 22...; . .. these considerations, j For Type 3 deco =sissioning of the plant the Staff esti .ates the cost - of $30 cillion (1972 dollars). This figure is based on adjustment "~" to a single unit of the esticate prepared by the Staf f for the Con- ,y sumer Power Co. Midland Plant Units 1 & 2.8 The Midland estimate was made ,by careful scaling of the detailed esthmates for the Elk River reactor. 8.4 IRFIVERSIBLE AND~ IRFITRIEVABLE CO}N1? DENTS OF FISOURCES  ;., ,.

       ,          As rentioned in Sectien 8.3, the arr:nge cnts involved in the .acquisi-                            ,

tien of the site vill enhance rather than detract f rc= the ecological ' E '!E"F= resrur tes of the carshland. With t'..e exceptien of the verk en the ,, intake canal, already co:pleted, the constructicn v:rk has not dis- . turbed the,r.arsh areas, and there is no evidence of any undesirable , di=+

                                                                                                                       . 5.::g:.

= :

h

                                                  *4 m =}}