ML20140F725

Forwards Seacoast Anti-Pollution League Comment on Proposed License Amend to Seabrook Station,Unit 1

ML20140F725
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	06/06/1997
From:	Doughty J SEACOAST ANTI-POLLUTION LEAGUE
To:	Milano P NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
References
NUDOCS 9706130215
Download: ML20140F725 (2)

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June 6, 1997 Patrick D. Milano, Acting Director Project Directorate 1-3 Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 0-14 B 20 US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555

Dear Mr. Milano:

Enclosed is the Seacoast Anti-Pollution League's comment on the proposed License Amendment to Seabrook Station, Unit No. 1, public notice of which was published on 6/4/97 in the legal notices section of the Portsmouth Herald.

I telephoned 301-415-1457 by direct dialed call on this date and reached your voice mail and read SAPL's comment.

When 1 later noted that the instructions said "by collect call", 1 tried twice to place a collect call to your number to resubmit our comment. Neither call was accepted. This raises a concern that other public comments may also have been attempted unsuccessfully. On this basis, SAPL would ask that the public comment period be extended.

Sincerely, C) = h % l Jane Doughty SAPL Staff l

Enclosure l

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l 1 l SAPL'S COMMENT ON NRC'S PROPOSED LICENSE AMENDMENT (Public Notification of which was published in the l

Legal Notices section of the Portsmouth Herald on 6/4/97) ]

It is the Seacoast Anti-Pollution League's position that there is a significant hazards consideration.in the matter of the NRC staff # s proposed amendment to the operating license at the Seabrook Station, Unit No. 1, which would amend the Seabrook Technical Specifications to l

explicitly identify the Westinghouse fuel assembly design at Seabrook consisting of either ZIRLO or Zircaloy-4 fuel cladding material.

There is a significant hazards consideration in this l

matter because it has become clear that there is a problem l with the Westinghouse fuel cladding in use at Seabrook l Station. The licensee has identified leaking fuel rods; two

of the ZIRLO clad rods broke during refueling operations according to an event report made to the NRC on S/31/97.

This degradation of one of the principal safety barriers at

the plant is a very serious matter. If root causes are not I

identified and remedied, there is every reason to expect that this degradation will continue in future and a condition could eventuate which could lead to serious public safety consequences. SAPL holds that the detection of a steam generator tube leak during the last operating cycle, which indicates that a second principal safety barrier at the l

plant is also degrading, is relevant to this matter. SAPL believes that the both the probability and consequences of previously evaluated accident scenarios are increased by l plant operation with degradeo fuel cladding. It is clear l that plant workers are already being subj ec ted to more

' hazardous working conditions as a consequence of the degraded fuel cladding. Operation of Seabrook Station with defective fuel cladding significantly reduces the margins of public safety.

l SAPL holds that a hearing should be held and a thorough

! investigation be made to determine the root causes of l existing fuel cladding degradation prior to any decisions I

being made to issue this license amendment and prior to plant start-up.

Submitted on 6/6/97 by:

a O O Jane Doughty 4

SAPL Staff 4

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