ML20237A196

Newsarticle Entitled, Pilgrim on List of Worst-Run Nuclear Units

ML20237A196
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	05/23/1986
From:	Pertman A BOSTON GLOBE, BOSTON, MA
To:
References
CON-#487-5033 2.206, PR-860523, NUDOCS 8712140324
Download: ML20237A196 (2)

Text

wasta gf2(2.20tr) g-

, 4. fo 33 A

ramm n g

1 O

3 %.e[i n pc g

m. u

.Q((.kiRf...

Y1 )

I.D P

wmv=sb ~c=,A

..5

• g a

g.-

I ont Edit Other O N W M. g u.. J. I bt w,,

c em.. :.w.

jd (nu Huelsat Units

. IS" i.

a Ms NRC cites potential' hazards

%qwV Dy Adam INtman spent hundreds of millions of d'ol-e f.h).8%

,Y/

Globe Staff "b6.$[2 Lars in the last few years trying to WASHINGTON - The Pflgrim remedy various technical prob-ST..R"N nuclear power plant in Plymouth, lems, and was now in " extensive" MR Mass.4eaememg the worst man. talks with NRC omclals aboUt im-p$.SF

$gy aged ard ;ntent'al'y ; east safe fa. proving management. He said pf c1.lties in the Untted States. Nucle-that new personnel with more ex-

% [*jg W'

at Regulatory Commisalon mem. perience were being Insta!!ed and p

bers told.a congresalonal panel that a program was instjt'Jted last

$,4;{

yestertiay,.

year for sending managers to "the The commisaloners named 17 best plants in the country to see i'i units at 10 plants nationwide in how they do what they do."

.3 g

the group. that included Pilg-tm:

The revelation'about Pilgrim's

~

no other New England facilities management comes on the heels 9,W were cf ted. The four NRC omclals of an NRC annoimnemer* Tuee*

se.

f submitted the list orally in re-day that the facility may;not re-

' ).

sponse to questions by Rep. Ed. Open untt! it corrects safety prob.

j ward Markey (D.Maas.). chairman lems that led to' closure last M"

of the House subcommittee on en. month. The NRC's decialon was i-ergy conservation and power.

based on a 134ay review of Pil-

.. i A spokesman for the Boston grim safety systems last month.

-(

Edison Co.. which owns Pilgrim.

In a separate inspection, from

]E said a major. program is under Feb.18 to March 7. the commla-

-J way.to correct the management. slon also had broad. crit $ cal find '

i W

deficiencies that led to the NRC-Ings that relate to the question of is M

judgment but volunteered that the plant's rnanagement. A copy I

'"we are not there yet."

of the report on that inspection The spokesman. stressed and was obtained by the Globe yester-v

^

an NRC report concurred, that the day...

M problem was one of potential has.

In a cover letter dated April 2.

q ardsinot imminent dangers to theJ 1986. ' NRC ometals tok0 Boston d

~;

' Edison that'"we foond no. evt.

ppb!)c.i...,,,;..

' J,"Werecogiil'ae the concerns'. dence thet the plant was being op-Salsed liy the NRC in their trapec' r' that j'notwithstanding thla con erated unsafety." But they aoded I

".tloris'over the last' year or so hav. ; clualon.' we believe'that substan

'ni; ing;to do' with,mana 3

sues.'? the~ spokesman,gement to 9 tlal. improvements,are necessary El Carl Gus-I n,2said Iri a telephone interview.,3 at your;fac!!!tyHe added that there was consi tl I

d dis 6uss. concern.end high lev,elg.,While.'ttie agency.., -ion 'among Do erable sald' corree-v*

Officials about the topic.' '.~ '., : *'2d that isdighfaatfkhs T

c.g, Gustin said the company,'hadh NbCtN...; pM.;.. m.... a;.g,;.M) i j

MM

.4 3

?.

V.

iw I

8712140324 eg>O00293 ggg3 PDR ADOCK O.

E P

PDR l

p.

w

fct"3 ppg,.y

(

N k.

$ 7 P1 ETI

'"2 %

'h'e'.tnun' gement! n"fghf1 Assettlins7said th'#I g

Co..n.~ti.n.~ued fro,m'Pa

?, d

.NRClto' correct t- **

N "

1. • W ~

6*.assass wy nhlbl,tingprog%resst..g.pl'q j'.he',futancial co'mmitment Tndj fact that the plagt had b p

..w y,

(-

8'.S

• In. complete staffing. I paq l hardvare commitment 'Is n'ott ' ranked " poor" in thtte importan j

operatoMand p;,

Jet upe_rvinery personn, key mglev.!enough,"ihe said. *'That's what'; categories in the last esting peri (j l

el.,3 6 /i I

i the NRC la telling us.'.*?.M Ot, }"od.' from. October 1984 to.Octobes E,6 Ptevallfry view Ln

. r4tipnthat thelmprove.thepr

,, He agreed with the NRC com-1985t he said NRC of[letals had res mente e

g kt, h"de to d'atihave corrected protgcommitteelenring yesterday thatmissionerp' assertion at the sub '. cetv ema I

gg'Yf.h' O.(' i 85.

! ht management was among the most meeting.

.W..

setta factitty's record at their last

\\

iga anged'Agnage%

critical aspects.of ensuring that a

e. He said the report, dated Feb' by n

.c 1 plant was safe. The commission 4o 18 pment..to acknowledge some prob-ms gn},1De(by, the NRC."

ers, includlhg the agency's chair-7 m,1086; gave the lowest ratingq p ible to Pilgrim for plant opers man. Nurn:to Palladino, stressed "attons, radiological controls and,

%o Iden'!!y oroblems rather thari9 " Dependence on third parties i

that no level of technical safe-flili"Pitmenung In f

cmergency preparedness.

t

{. guards can.make a nuclear facill-

" Management is the single,

{

ty safe un j

effec tive QFOgram for"Belfidentification of 4 ment. ' Jess it has good manage-; most import. ant facter in assushg y

p[M,nesses#' ; q.;.}O safe plant operations," Asselitik "MNkeY'.cAlle'd' yesterday's said, adding that "there seems to

• i m--

yW,orking on problems. '

m hearin to evaluate the safety re-be a history and pattern of poor

,)f ton E fiso'n l. F Custin;said last night that Bos-cord o tJS nuclear plants in the managem

~

wake of the accident at Chernobyl this site.,, ent and leadership at

.s

.f was workiag with the

'In the Soviet Upton. Toward the iie n ted that performance dtil ? 6 end of the three hours of testimo- ', valuations. on the, over the lastfaci em~'

ny..Markey aske'd what were the g ne up and down fmost afgnificant factors in assess-five years, a fact that,Gustg a Ing the risk of a meltdown. That is kn w p facJ4, problem for a nu g,

the worst case g,

.levled a $550,000 fine against thp.

. The NRC coinmissioners - Pal ' plant for management problenM '

ladino, James Asselstine, Thomas those included purportedly'sulp Roberts, Trederick Bernthat and standard efforts by Edison to rg,

• Lando Zech - agreed one common move hydrogen gases that cou31 denominator at inferior plants build up and explode. At the tirre; was poor managment. Markey the fine was the highest ever h6-then asked them to list which faM. posed by the agency.

l The following year, the fuelp

, cilities had the worst manage-Vs review improved. but then ment and they offered their sug-dropped slightly in 1984 and mm'r gestions one by one.

In '85.

L The cor' missioners agreed to '

Pilgrim has been cited for othy n

i Markey's subsequent request to ' managerial problems for years,

. pro'ide a written report, completc...the including security violations v

Twith spectfic reasons for.thWC con.dfi@ lid ah'e NRC ta propose W clusions.. e....a..

• $50.000 fine la'st December. That j

, Conc.erned.. a.nd t.roub. led"-

whs reduced by half before it was paid two months. a.go.6 3;.

.t

+

4 V, Last night. Mark'ey s'ald that

'The other

,y he was " concerned and troubled" day, by. the.' plants named yt:Q i

NRC commissioners by the comments.about Pilgrim, were LaSalle in Seneca, Ill.: Opter l

and that' he plans to meet soon i (

Creek, lacey Township N.J.?%r-j.with Boston Ediston executives.. key Point, Turkey Point,7,ta.,

l and NRC inspectors to discuss the 1

tssue.

Rancho Seco, Clay Station. Oahf..,

In a teiephone interview last and the Tennessee Valley Author-Ity pla'nts in the Southeast. ""

m j

l

!