Press Release-II-10-049, NRC Fines FPL $70,000 for Spent Fuel Issue at Turkey Point Nuclear Plant

Press Release-II-10-049: NRC Fines FPL $70,000 for Spent Fuel Issue at Turkey Point Nuclear Plant

ML101730159
Person / Time
Site:	Turkey Point
Issue date:	06/22/2010
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-II-10-049
Download: ML101730159 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs, Region II 245 Peachtree Center Ave. NE, Suite 1200 Atlanta, GA 30303-1257 Web Site: www.nrc.gov No. II-10-049 June 22, 2010 CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: OPA2.Resource@nrc.gov Joey Ledford (404) 562-4416 NRC FINES FPL $70,000 FOR SPENT FUEL ISSUE AT TURKEY POINT NUCLEAR PLANT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is citing Florida Power & Light Co. for three violations and has proposed a $70,000 civil penalty against the company for an issue with the Unit 3 spent fuel pool racks at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant near Homestead, Fla., about 20 miles south of Miami.

In December 2009, the NRC became aware that the neutron-absorbing material called Boraflex in the Unit 3 spent fuel pool had degraded below the levels spelled out in the plants design basis documents. Although FPL had taken compensatory measures including the addition of soluble boron, the regulatory requirements that ensure the spent fuel pool remains safe were not met.

The companys actions ensured the pools condition did not pose an immediate safety concern, but the NRC found that FPL did not promptly identify and correct the condition. The NRC issued the civil penalty because the agency felt the company did not report the condition in a timely fashion. The NRC has determined that the issue has low to moderate safety significance and may result in additional inspections.

The NRC staff held a regulatory and enforcement conference with FPL in April, and the company disagreed with some aspects of the NRCs evaluation. After considering information provided by FPL, the NRC staff issued its final determination including the three violations and

$70,000 fine.

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.