NUREG-0575, Responds to ,On Behalf of Sensible Me Power,Re Published Remarks by NRC Official in Support of long-term Storage Plan at Facility.Position Reflects Generic Issue Documented in NUREG-0575

Responds to ,On Behalf of Sensible Me Power,Re Published Remarks by NRC Official in Support of long-term Storage Plan at Facility.Position Reflects Generic Issue Documented in NUREG-0575

ML20148R077
Person / Time
Site:	Maine Yankee
Issue date:	01/13/1981
From:	Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Tupper S TUPPER, BRADLEY & MCDOWELL
References
NUDOCS 8101290212
Download: ML20148R077 (1)

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DI1IBIBUTION:

C Docket Files OELD S. Hanauer NRC PDR G. Ertter (ED0-09961)

D. Ross L POR S. Cavanaugh B. Snyder g 1 0 1981 TERA E. Hughes R. Vollmer Docket No. 50-309 NSIC M. Stine O

T. Murley ORB #3 Rdg P. Kreutzer (3)

~ Gray File ORB #3'

'tr. Stanley R. Tupper E00 Rdg G. Requa Green Ticket File ORB #3 Tupper, Bradley and McDowell D. Eisenhut R. Clark Attorneys at Law R. Purple SECY (3) 80-2132 ASLB 102 Townsend Avenue T. Novak H. Shapper i

a R.-H.

Groce Boothbay Harbor, Maine 0453R R. Tedesco V. Stello

()

C. T. Irwin, Jr.

G. Lainas E. Case J. MT R. Paterson

Dear Mr. Tuoper:

J. Roe H. Denton Chairman, ASLB J. Heltemes PPAS This is in response to your letter of December 4,1980 to Chairman Ahearne concerning ifr. Glode Requa's ccmments to questions from Mr. Clark T. Irwin Jr.,

of the Portland Press Herald, as reported in the Portland Press Herald on December 1, 1980 You state that 'tr. Requa, the NRC staff Project Manager assigned to the "aine Yankee Atomic Power Company application for lona tem storaqe of spent fuel, by thase comments, has prejudced the outccme of the !!aine Yankee Atonic Power Company application to expand their scent fuel storage capacity.

You state that "r. Requa was quoted as backing Maine Yankee's long tem storace plan.

I hwe read the referenced article and while the article is entitled "2 Eneroy Officials Back Yankee Spent Fuel Plant", the reported coments of Mr. Requa merely reflect staff Dositions on the reneric issue of lona term spent fuel storace documented in NilREG-0575, "Handlinq and Storage of Spent Licht Water Power Reactor Fuel." This document was referenced by Mr. Requa throughout his interview with Mr. Clark T. Irwin, Jr.

However, this document was not referenced in the article.

Mr. Requa's comments in the article do not specifically back or prejudne the instant anplication.

The decision recarding this aonlication will not be nade by Mr. Requa but by aopropriate manacement under my direction following safety and environnental analyses which will be documented in the Safety Evaluation Report and the Environmental Impact Aporaisal. Moreover, if the licensing board desianated to rule on petitions to intervene grants the hearinq requested by Sensible

'iaine Power, the issues raised by Sensible Maine Power will be addressed and decided by the Atonic Safety and Licensing Poard.

A ropy of this letter, tonether with your letter of Dect=ber 4,1080 is beinq furnished to the Atomic Safety and Licensino Board and all petitioners in this proceedinq.

Sincerely,

! ':y

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• Denotes previous concurrence, Harold R. Danton, Director HD on See attached Office of fluclear Reactor Peculationg 1/$f81

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C-Docket File J. Roe V. Stello NRC PDR J. Heltemes E. Case L PDR OELD H. Denton TERA G. Ertter (ED0-09961) PPAS Mr. Stanley R. Tupper NSIC S. Cavanaugh S. Hanauer Tupper, Bradley and McDowell ORB #3 Rdg E. Hughes D. Ross Attorneys at Law E00 Rdg M Stine B. Snyder 102 Townsend Avenue D. Eisenhut P. Kreutzer (3)

R. Vollmer Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538 R. Purple G. Requa T. Murley T. Novak R. Clark Gray File ORB #3

Dear Mr. Tupper:

R. Tedesco SECY. (3) 80-2132 Green Ticket File-ORB #3 G. Lainas H. Shaper ASLB This is in response to your letter of December 4,1980 to Chairman Ahearne concerning Mr. Glode Requa's comments to questions from Mr. Clark T. Irwin Jr.

of the Portland Press Herald as reported in the portland Press Herald on December 1,1980.

You state that Mr. Requa, the NRC staff Project Manager assiqned to the Faine Yankee Atomic Power Company application for lonq term storage of spent fuel, by these comments, has prejudged the outcome of the Maine Yankee Atomic Power Comoany application to expand their spent fuel storage capacity. You state that Mr. Requa was quoted as backing Maine Yankee's long term storage plan.

I have read the referenced article and while the article is entitled "2 Energy Of ficials Back Yankee Spent Fuel Plant", the reported comments of Mr. Requa marely reflect staff positions on the generic issue of long term spent fuel storage documented in NUREG-0575, " Handling and Storage of Spent Light Water Power Reactor Fuel." This document was referenced by 'tr. Requa throughout his interview with Mr. Clark T. Irwin, Jr. However, this document was not referenced in the article.

Mr. Requa's comments in the article do not specifically back or prejudge the instant application.

The decision regarding this application will not be made by Mr. Requa but by appropriate management under my direction following s.ifety and environmental analysis which will be documented in a Safety Evaluation Report. Moreover, if.

the licensing board designated to rule in petitions to intervene grants tha hearing requested by Sensible 1aine Power, the issues raised by Sensible Maine Power will be addressed and decided by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.

A copy of this letter, together with your letter of Decenber 4,1980 is being furnished to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board and all petitioners in this proceeding.

Sincerely, Harold R. Denton, Director 1

Of fice of Muclear Peactor Regulation cc: Letter dated necember a, 1080

[

enton 1/ /81

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TUPPER, BRADLEY AND McDOWELL ATTOFNEYS Af L A%

102 TOWNSEND AVENUE St ANL E Y R. Tt.'PPf.R BOOTHBAY HARBOR, MAINE M538 CAN AL BANK BUILDING. LONG % HARF

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(207) 633 4 00 P o BM 20 D R A

.MAWEWH2 December 6, 1980 Hon. John F. Ahearne, Chairman Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H St., NW Washington, D. C.

20555 Re :

Matter of Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company (Maine Yankee Atomic Power Station) Applicant Modified Spent Fuel Pin Storage with New 10.5" Center Racks)

Dear Mr. Ahearne :

1 I am writing the Commission as co-counsel for Sensible Maine Power, Intervenor in opposition to MYA's plan to store all of its nuclear waste in its existing fuel pool for the lifetime of that plant.

It is my wish to draw to your attention remarks made by an NRC of-ficial, Mr. Glode Requa, to the Portland Press Herald, Dec. 1, 1980 (copy enclosed) as reported by Clark T.

Irwin, Jr.

Mr. Requa was quoted as backing MYA's long-term storage plan, focusing on one of a number of contentions raised by Intervenor.

I consider these remarks made by Mr. Requa, before even a pre-hear-ing conference has been ordered, as very unprofessional.

When an NRC official prejudges an issue of this importance it does little to assure the public that these matters will receive a fair and objective hearing.

No criticism is implied toward Mr. Irwin, Staff Writer for the Port-land Press Herald; he was merely doing his job.

However, Mr. Re qua did a disservice to the NRC, the State of Maine (a participant in this matter) and the Intervenor.

Sin ce rely, 7

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<.l[JLtc.in,fe<.. '

Stanley R.f upper T

cc:

Henry J. McGurren, Esq.

Counsel for NRC Staff Clark T. Irwin, Jr.

John Patterson, Esq., Deputy Attorney General, State of bhine 80/200w)

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Vol. II8, No.13e Partised,nahie goeday,DeceanberI,1900 hmo=.n e'srs% ' i a e e a 24 Pages L" % g tL i

r 2 energy o icials backyankee. spent fuel plan A,

BydARET. tam 1NJR. -

ment of Energ](s Offlee of Spent Fuel The plan would cost "a few ed.

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9 tait Wrtter Transportation and expressed lion accortung to Maine Yankee di.

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told the Press Herald recent!y that a drop in -. Another problem, Requa adds, is that its Wistanest phet la a tomraonplace and t Cecerned Scientists in Cambridge, tiass.,

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4 The reertar,4 percent owned b Central, the waterlevelin a reactor's spent fuel censed for shipping they are not ikenmed u

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g er Regulatory Onnaission for a permit to ; ^ a.embnes* realdunt W e,

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ht, he nam, could release

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regen gas storage capacity by 1987 - the reason for knd s strmalum tube cove me and a gas its petition to the NRC - and Reque maid e

a o c uM apread kmctfve rafora.

assembHes closer together underwater in,

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tse plant

• stasaisse steet, as fbot deep sta,r -s stight trigger the water lom &mpson ceske mundnt be unneed are that time.

• *1580* crub or a em wthquake, it's his " gut feeling" that d storage with But the central questkm to safery.

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sk8, ow-safe.

the e to i

, NRC edhser Gioda Reque told the -

o a ed accident stemm from an e

, ' have not yet W scheduledHerald. Pbblic hearings on the idea c scenar has been times'" the.NRC's Reque se. "but It kespa Anyone can corse up with a what It arenar-g-_ IkM'

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s,,, *i ether mmmercial reactors, Requa said, an."

s sg n A technicien teske doors on tBe would say that most others have cornr a

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spenthastpoolat38alme Yankee, -

pleted the protte. s."

1 increase the entent of a catastrophic

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' where 6 We h Maine Yankee, however' was the first accident,tf one should happen?

cornmercial reactor company to deve a

Garrity, who has worked at the Wiscasart storage capady.The arrow ha I

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method for increastag the number of tubes that can be stored in each fuel assem-reactor for le years, similarly argues that

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reracktne might add "a few percentage A

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.l-As used in the reactor, each fbei assembly points of seriousness" to any acetdent that V

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contains 176 fuel tubes; the Maina Yankee the premise that one would.

might happen to the pool - but he doubts plan calls for reassembHng the unita under.

De pool is a stainless steel tank backed

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water to increase toa nurnber of tubes to

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289 per assembly for storage.

by concrate, mostly below ground level, he

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%ornpuon's preferred route, storing the would likely be to bend rather than rupture.

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3 esed fuel assembtles in shipping casks I

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weighing between 22 and 97 tons each, suf.

Even if the liner broke open, Garrify said, 3-i l

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fers frota a number of drawbacks Reque the building has a ventilation and filter y

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5 7J system to remove redloctive particles froen

, e yy' Dere are fewer than two dozen such the air. De same futers, he sod, would j

caske in the country, acarding to the DOE, acrub tentW!y explostre hydrogen gas

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with a total capacity of about 60 fuel assem.

from air.

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l blies for red water r* actors like Ampart frors the plant's mechanical cool-t i

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' Maine Y Ing systems, Garrity said, an emergency re-TM But Maine Yankee alone already has SOS sponse to a water level drop in the paot r

fuel assembtles stored in its spent fuet poot could draw on a multi mi! Lion gallon pond g

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-- the number withdrawn frorn the reactor built outside for firefighters* use.

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pacity would by said, couldn't generate enough heat to melt N.

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500 to 600 from the propneed rerac g and their stronnium tubes and release the trydro-5 N

another 700 to 800 frora the pro. posed fueg and radioactive commda essenW to liet tube concentration withlm the assem.

{'.Dompson's asmMaccident.

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Once withdrawn from the reactor core.

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{g storaje faciHty would be "very, very e within a year.

about 90 percent of their residual heat

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.g sive rompared to the plan submitt: by Maine Yankee.

Since the Maine Yankee plant opeced la Q

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while, ready a central AFR (Away Frern Re,,

than it has lately, the average fuel asseenbty a%seus And if the genment should, mean.

1972 and refueled more often at the e. Ass *

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actor) storare plant cr a *rermanent stored in the gwot has been out of the re-j disposal site, as called for by current plans, artor for four to five yeart

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and compy to of the atmtles that g ygg -

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' draw power from Yankee.

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u!!t its stcrage racks In' 1973 on 12-inc i

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w ki gatMaineYankee*fesalready sp" acing.Ihe pool at Maine Yankee, Requa hikeer 9

said.'"W"as intended only for temporary t come closer than 95 per i rLrac n

- a self been done once."When the plant opened,its spent fuel f

storage, (mtilfuelcouldbe disposedo s-i d 20 thches or reprocessed. as is the practice i

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t of the way to" criticality"the worst Documents filed with the NRC say blies canno

- pool racks were centereapart, giving a pool capacity of 318 t ining reaction ~ under

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the pool water temperature cannot rLee. cen The reracking application came; bel tingconditions. -

Europe.

beyond 154 degrees Fahrenheit"for the

• sus amost Mverse condition" Water boIIs at.

~t f noted, because "Like every sther re.

blies.

-l same statistical confidencelevelthat its., Maine Yankee has demo actor in the country, Maine Yankee is.

Butitsoonbecame apparentthatgo#

ernment plans for accepting custody ot of storage space."

212 degrees Fahrenheit.

l cannot exceed 90 percent of crit-used reactor fuels wouldbe delayed.SoRC approval lity,Requa said,"way below techni-

/Requa said that Maine Yankee has

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been "very conservative" In designing' poo Finally, he said, spent fuel assembly with N -

i tea ecifications.".

Its spsnt fuel pool operation. NRC regu-l lations require 9S percent statistical ca sp confidence that the stored fuel assem,

b e

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