Press Release-IV-12-021, NRC to Hold Public Meeting to Discuss Status of Augmented Inspection at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Press Release-IV-12-021: NRC to Hold Public Meeting to Discuss Status of Augmented Inspection at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

ML12160A589
Person / Time
Site:	San Onofre
Issue date:	06/08/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region IV
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-IV-12-021
Download: ML12160A589 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region IV 1600 E. Lamar Blvd.

Arlington, TX 76011 - 4125 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. IV-12-021 June 8, 2012

Contact:

Victor Dricks (817) 200-1128 E-Mail: OPA4.Resource@nrc.gov Lara Uselding (817) 200-1519 NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING TO DISCUSS STATUS OF AUGMENTED INSPECTION AT SAN ONOFRE NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting on June 18 to provide a status of the Augmented Inspection conducted at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station after several steam generator tubes failed a pressure test. The plant, operated by Southern California Edison Co. is located in San Clemente, Calif. This will be the first in a series of meetings to be held in the area to keep the public informed on the progress of NRC inspection and oversight activities at San Onofre.

The meeting will be held between 6 and 9 p.m. at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, Community Hall, 25925 Camino Del Avion, in San Juan Capistrano. During the first part of the meeting, which is open to public observation, the NRC staff will provide a summary of the Augmented Inspection Teams observations thus far followed by a response from the licensee.

After a short break the NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public and accept comments on issues related to San Onofre.

We know there is a great deal of interest in how the NRC is ensuring safety at San Onofre, said NRC Region IV Administrator Elmo E. Collins. We want to provide the public with the status of our inspection of the plants steam generators and talk about the process the NRC will use to ensure that all of our rigorous requirements for operating the facility are met.

Operators shut down Unit 3 on Jan. 31, after a tube leak in one steam generator was identified; Unit 2 had been shut down for a scheduled maintenance outage. Both reactors have remained safely shutdown. On March 27, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action letter documenting actions that Southern California Edison officials have agreed to take prior to seeking permission to restart the reactors. The NRC has been conducting inspections to determine the extent and cause of the tube degradation. Steam generators do experience some wear during the first year of operation but the level of tube wear at both units is unusual.

Between March 13 and 21, 129 steam generator tubes were pressure tested. Eight tubes failed acceptance criterion - indicating that they could rupture during some operating conditions.

The integrity of steam generator tubes is important because the tubes provide an additional

barrier inside the containment building to prevent a radioactive steam release. Augmented inspections are used by the NRC to review more significant issues such as a tube failure at NRC-licensed facilities.

The team reviewed information associated with the design, construction, shipping, operation, and testing of the steam generators. The team will issue a written report within the next 30 days that will be publicly available. The report will identify areas for further inspection follow-up.

You may access the meeting notice through ADAMS by using accession number ML12160A551.

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