Press Release-II-09-061, NRC Schedules Enforcement Conference with Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group
| ML093010710 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | BWX Technologies |
| Issue date: | 10/29/2009 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region II |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-II-09-061 | |
| Download: ML093010710 (1) | |
Text
NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 Web Site: www.nrc.gov No. II-09-061 October 27, 2009 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 562-4416 NRC SCHEDULES ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE WITH BABCOCK AND WILCOX NUCLEAR OPERATIONS GROUP The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a predecisional enforcement conference in Atlanta for Friday, Nov. 6 to discuss with officials of Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group in Lynchburg, Va., apparent violations of NRC requirements associated with the loss of nuclear criticality controls on a mechanical saw.
The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. at the NRC Region II office in Atlanta, located in the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth St., S.W., Suite 23T85. The meeting will be open to observation by the public, and NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer questions from interested observers. Members of the public interested in attending the meeting or participating by toll-free audio teleconference should contact the NRC's Al Gooden at 404-562-4716 or alphonsa.gooden@nrc.gov.
In July, a saw used to cut fuel components at the Lynchburg facility was found to have discharged oil which contained an unknown amount of highly enriched uranium into a receptacle. Plant personnel realized that the situation represented a loss of safety controls for uranium and declared an alert. The material was analyzed and it was learned that only a small amount of uranium was in the oil, leading to an exit of the alert about five hours later.
An NRC Special Inspection Team reviewed the situation and concluded the companys response was satisfactory and corrective actions were adequate, but apparent violations were noted and the enforcement conference was scheduled.
No decision on enforcement action will be made at the meeting. NRC officials will review information presented by Babcock and Wilcox at the meeting and reach a decision on appropriate regulatory action at a later date.
An NRC inspection report with details regarding the Special Inspection Teams assessment is available through the Region II office or through the NRC Web page at www.nrc.gov/readingrm/adams.html. The number to access the document is ML092940642.
News releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.