ML053330103

E-Mail from Howe to Burnell, Event Notice: Vermont Yankee 05/19/2004

ML053330103
Person / Time
Site:	Vermont Yankee File:NorthStar Vermont Yankee icon.png
Issue date:	05/19/2005
From:	Howe A Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
To:	Scott Burnell, Richard Ennis, Florek D, Holden C, Jasinski R, Kim T, Leeds E, Madden P, Marsh T, Darrell Roberts, Skay D, Virgilio R Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
References
FOIA/PA-2004-0369
Download: ML053330103 (6)

Text

From: Allen Howe To: d()Burnell, Scott; Ennis, Rick; Florek, Donald; Holden, Cornelius; Jasinski, Robert; Kim, Tae; Leeds, Eric; Madden, Thomas; Marsh, Tad; Roberts, Darrell; Skay, Donna; Virgilio, Rosetta Date: 05/19/2004 2:53PM

Subject:

Fwd: Event Notice: Vermont Yankee 05/19/2004 Attached is the text of the 50.72 report on the missing fuel rod segments at Vermont Yankee.

In essence, it states that the search in the pool Isdone and the rod segments were not found in the pool.

Thanks - Allen I1

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From: Headquarters Operations Officer 1 To: Allen Howe Date: 05/19/2004 2:45PM

Subject:

Event Notice: 05/19/2004 Per your request.

Regards, Howie Crouch Headquarters Operations Officer U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Phone: (301) 816-5100 Fax: (301) 816-5151 E-mail: HO0 @nrc.gov

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LICENSEE PLANS TO ISSUE NEWS RELEASE REGARDING AN ACCOUNTABILITY DISCREPANCY OF SNM

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The following Is the text of the planned press release:

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iEntergy Vermont Yankee Press Release "Fuel Rod Segments at Vermont Yankee Unaccounted For I 1

'BRATTLEBORO, VT -- In response to a recent NRC Inspection, Entergy Vermont Yankee has determined that two short spent fuel rod segments are not In tai - Is.i, I z their documented location In the spent fuel pool. Entergy engineers are reviewing storage records and performing a thorough Inspection of the spent. tJ-,4 I,-, .

fuel pool to determine the location of the rod segments. l

'One of the segments Is about the length and diameter of a pencil and the other Is the same diameter and about 17 Inches long. According to station documentation, In 1979, the highly radioactive rods were placed In a special stainless steel container In the spent fuel pool after a fuel inspection to address fuel cladding deficiencies. l

'Vermont Yankee has an extensive system of radiation monitors and, due to the radioactive nature of the material, the segments could not have been Inadvertently removed from the pool in anything other than a container specifically designed and licensed to contain radioactive material. l Therefore, public health and safety is not at risk as a result of this I issue. Entergy Vermont Yankee will continue to keep the Nuclear Regulatory

. . .-_.-._.. .. .. - .. ,V £*.1 Commission and state authorities Informed on the progress of the I Pl i ._<UktL Investigation. . I r& ,Gle%(

"The Vermont Yankee spent fuel pool Is 40 feet in depth and contains 2,789 1 spent uranium fuel assemblies that were used In energy production since 1 Cabs~

1972. Vermont Yankee Is presently shut down for Its twenty fourth refueling and maintenance outage." I The licensee informed the NRC Resident Inspector. I

• • `**UPDATE ON 5/19/04 AT 0945 FROM K. ROBINSON TO R. LAURA***** I "On April 20, 2004, Vermont Yankee (VY) determined that two short pieces of I WCf24A i1(-/12 spent fuel rods were not In their documented location in the spent fuel pool. An investigation team, consisting of Entergy personnel and industry peers Is working to locate the fuel rod pieces. This is being accomplished A41,4 L/dL)&-

by completing a review of special nuclear material storage records, performing a thorough, methodical Inspection of the spent fuel pool, 1,IJ Interviewing current and-former VY personnel and contractors and reviewing I all radioactive materials shipping records generated since 1979, l jv, 1 Jnc r,'

corresponding to the date that the fuel rod pieces were loaded Into the storage container. I , /,..

'The two missing fuel rod pieces are approximately 7 and 17.5 Inches In length and approximately one half Inch In diameter. According to station .11 f-I L&7-!, Z_ Z.fl(,- *A_

documentation, In 1979, the highly radioactive rods were placed in a stainless steel container In the spent fuel pool after a fuel inspection to sz SP. J )/~5 address fuel cladding deficiencies. This container was not designed with I sufficient shielding for safe transport outside of an underwater environment such as the spent fuel pool.

'VY has an extensive system of radiation monitors on the refuel floor and throughout the station with alarm set points that are capable of alerting control room operators and plant personnel to the uncontrolled movement of highly radioactive material In the protected area. Due to the radioactive I nature of the material, the pieces could not have been Inadvertently removed from the pool in anything other than a container specifically designed to contain this form of radioactive material. Therefore, there Is reasonable I assurance that public health and safety Is not, nor was ever at risk as a result of thin Issue. VY will continue to keep the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state authorities Informed on the progress of the l investigation.

'The portion of the investigation that Involves the visual inspection of the I pool Is essentially completed. That work Included searches with pole-mounted and robotic crawler-mounted cameras above and below all the spent fuel storage racks as well as In empty fuel racks and other containers and storage areas. The camera search did not find the unaccounted for fuel rod pieces. Continuing efforts Include, but are not limited to, document reviews and extensive interviews with approximately 65 present and former employees and contractors who have been associated with spent fuel pool and l radioactive waste disposal operations over the years. l

'The State of Vermont and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are I actively providing oversight for this project.'

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• X.,. .lb I Notified RI DO (J. Caruso), DIRO (T. Andrews), NMSS (T. Essig), NRR (T. I I Reis), Rl PAO (D. Screnci), DHS (N. Lieberman) I

Alien mowe - buiTimiy.ml NRC OPERATIONS CENTER EVENT

SUMMARY

REPORT Event# Plant Name CFR(s) 40694 VERMONT YANKEE This Event has been Updated IlIl 50.72(b)(2)(xi) OFFSITE NOTIFICATION 20.2201(a)(1)(ii) LOST/STOLEN LNM>10X 74.11 (a) LOST/STOLEN SNM

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