ML20056E614

Expresses Group Concern About Safety Implications of Faulty Reactor Water Level Instrumentation at Plant & Requests Investigation Into Allegations Re Turbine Cracks

ML20056E614
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	06/04/1993
From:	Muirhead D, Ott M CITIZENS URGING RESPONSIBLE ENERGY
To:	Selin I, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
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ML20012H018	List: ML20056E559 ML20056E614
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NUDOCS 9308240340
Download: ML20056E614 (3)

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\m Citizens Urging Responsible Energy J June 4, 1993 Ivan Selin, Chairman US Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1717 H Street - Mailstop 16615 e Washington, D.C. 20555 '

Via Pax: (301) 504-1672 -

f p 3o g , as ,

Dear Chairman Selin:

As you are aware, our group is very concerned with the safety implications of the faulty reactor water level instrumentation at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The failure of your agency to mandate immediate repairs at affected plants has raiced cerious doubts about your ,

villingness to ensure the health and safety of those living near these facilities.

On Wednesday, June 2, 1993, a Patriot Ledger article,

" Nuclear industry seeks delay for repairs" (Paul Monaghan and Robert Berner), covered an NRC meeting on the topic the day before:

... Chairman Selin made clear that the plant would not be forced to shut down. " Pilgrim is hot now," Selin said after the commission's meeting yesterday. "There is no sentiment among the commissioners to go back and reverse that."...Selin said he vanted plant owners to begin fixing the instrument during the next shutdown, starting immediately. "I don't see any reason to wait until July 30," he said. "If ve're fooled twice, we have no one to blame." >

Chairman Selin, were you aware on Tuesday that Pilgrim had scrammed and shutdown at 7:00 p.m. Monday? If not, why not? If so, why did you not issue an order for Pilgrim?

In an apparent effort to avoid compliance with your edict, Boston Edison has been telling news reporters that the plant is not shutdown, but is operating at lov power. A nuclear safety expert has told us that because of the length of the refueling outage and short duration the plant was back on

• line, i.e. from Friday the 28th until Monday, the 31st, the scram would result in the plant cooling down naturally, i98s1D3 @ ?p -

Post Office Box 2621 . Duxbury, Mrdsachusetts 02331 .

(617) 934-0498

P.o2 unless, of cource, Boston Edison was doina something, like running the recirculation pumps, to keep the plant operating. That was said to be economically ridiculous since they could not generate electricity.

It is our understanding that the shut down on Monday was caused by a turbine load reject. We remind you that is the same reason the plant scra=med and shutdown on March 13th, for which your agency has just cited Boston Edison with two violations of their operating license.

Furthermore, engineers inside the plant have come forward with serious allegations regard.ing cracks in Pilgrim's turbines. The Company denied the cracks existence when questioned by a reporter, then later acknowledged them because the NRC resident inspector confirmed the speculation. It has also been alleged that General Electric inspected this problem and refused to certify changes done, recommending that Eoston Edison replace the turbines. plant owners were caid to have rejected that finding, and hired an7ther consulting firm. What is going on here?

We call for an immediate investigation into the allegations regarding the turbine cracks and demand that you issue an-order, effective immediately, requiring Pilgrim to "fix" the design problem with the reactor vessel vater level instrumentation so that automatic redundancy is achieved.

We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

-lNO Afil}{,

Donald M. Muirhead Jr., M.D. Mary . Ott Co-Chairmen CCS President Bill Clinton Senator Edward Kennedy Senator John Kerry Senator Joseph Lieberman Representative Gerry Studds Attorney General Scott Harshbarger Selectmen, EPZ Communities Robert Pollard

The Patriot t.edgor. Wed. June 2.1993 Nuclear industry seeks delay for repairs.

\

plant weuhl not be forced to shut down:

"Ngri n is hot now." Selin said after the '

By Paul fAonagharl romrninaian's meetir.g yesterd'sy. "TLere s,an_

j w eanctw and Robert Bemer Cracks on turbine parts could be costly ianesenume-n,ae to go back and reverse that."

Pilgnm restarted Friday after a 57 dsy Selin capreeaed diasstisfaction with tLe WASlilNGTON - An industry panel By Robert Bernei shutdan n for refuehng. way the NRC staliha 1 barxiled the nafety. >

representing 11ymouth's Pilgdm station The Patriot Lettger Edisan apoliraman David Tarantino problem, which surtwed laat year. In and 35 other nuclest power plante asked the Nuclear Regulatory Cornmission yes- PLYMOUTli - Tiny cracks have said the cracks on the two turbines are on August 1932 the NRC told plant operntats .

terday to give them an extra year to fix a d.veloped on parts in two of the three parta hat hold the turbine fans to shafts. to make the modificatians no later than -

key reactor safety devke. elecEty genersting turbines at the Pil- Steam generated by the nuclear reactor the next refueling after November 1992.

But the NRC. granting a request by the '

Safety critice, meanwhile, said the grira nuclear plant. Boston Edison said spins the fans of the turbine, which, in plant owners, then delayed that order.

3 NRC is already giving the plants more ye,terdsy. turn generatie electikity.

l lie said the cracks are from normal "I have the feeling we wasted six-time than in safe to make the repain. The cracks do not pose a safety hazard.

Janice Nickerson, co-chairman of the but could cost more tlan $20 million if the = ear and have occurred at otherwhile nuclest ago.moot I reallyhs."Selinam concemed said."AweSe fix was - available a Pilgrim Alhance. a watchdog, group- parts have to be replaced instead of plants. Tarantino esid the cratka do n at inter- been te open to suggest son."

rharged yesterday that it was "meicus- repaired, the cornpany said. Selin mi f e wanted pjagtawntax +

eble" for the NRC not to make the plant Boston Edison yesterday also said P21- fere with the operation of the turbines.

make the repair cow tf there is any grim automatically stopped generating Boston Edisca is evaluatmg whether to hmm imw the inatrument_dunng tEc.

• g questen about safety. electriety Monday evening due to a prob- repair or replace the parts and will hkely .nntahutdown.dartmr "I dan t see any resum immediatch to wait untat .

Robert Pollard, a nuclear safety engi-Icm in electricity leaving the plant. The make a decidon by tlw plant a next July 30." he raid "lLwitLLwM LwiGL -

l neer fx the Union of Concerned Scien- compaoy said it hopes to start generating refueling in April 1995 he uki. ~

tists in Washington, agreed- again later this week. Replacing the parts could cost mere we heve ro one to binme "

Selm, with notne irntation in his voice. -

Sefety critics have said a faulty water- Edison nid it is leaving the reactor than $20 milhon. he said. By cornporison. '

level readmg could cause a :neltdown if running at a lower temperature while the refueling of the plant last month costsphperson, Ngrim referrt<i towho a recent published sa d plant own . - remark of a about $27 mdlion, he said.

water lavels inside the reactor got too low. looking for the sourec of the problem. er Umten Edimn would make the modifica ,.-

NRC Chairman Ivan Selin greetad the tions when the NRC enters it to do so.

industry regnest for rnore time with He said Ediaon made it sound like they ,

s's epticism. lle said the five. member men- "We do wcognite that this is a real were " prepared to study it for a long time" inission woukt rule on the indastry The sa.fety device has been shown to give false water-level readngs in the prob!cm that must be reschwl." said Stan unless ordered to act. Paul M. Blanch, a e

' petition within a week.

Lastliriday the NRC ordered ownen of resetors.These faulty readings could mis- lanma. a New Je scy utlty ofncial. who first former uncovered enginar the mater with Northcaat level prob. Utihties tbe nation's boiling water. type reactors to lead an operator into thinking there was "(But) we nad timo to do a eclid enginwr- lem. Said his company's solution could bc .;,

pennanently roodify the faulty instru- odequate cooling water covering the reac- ing job . . . We're going used to bebyforced ruost of into the other plants. ..

rnent, which is supposed to gneasure the tor core, when actually it was uncovered- The plant rnaking owners'some argumenta arbitrary decision."

gained lie said Pilgrim "has almost an identi.

The NRC etaff said the plant owners I water levelin their reactors.

I The NRC said the critical safety nech- can use the same modifications made at a support from et least two commissioners. cal system" to the M -

Connecticut reactor last rummer. North- who seemed willing to give them more could be easily modified.

anism must be fixed during the plant east Utilities claims the changes it made time fer design and testing. The NRC last Friday al3o acid plant' o

owners' fint shutdown after July 30. The to the measuring device at its Millstone I Pdgrun, whkh had been shut fer refuel- owners to take additionalinterim steps to-ection came efter the NRC downpland reactor have solved the problem. ing. started up again Friday without alter- ensure that no problems arise. 4

• the prttlem for months. "We see no reason wby ths couldn't be ing its water. level measunng niuipment. Piirim's next schedule.1 shutdomu ist $

But the boiling water reactor owners A group of nuclear safety entics had April 1994. But Boston Ediaca spokesman i group, which said not all plants can use applied generically."said Ashok Thadani.

the come solution, esked for rnore time the NRC director for systemsstart safety and petitioned the NRC to delay Pilgrim's David Tarantino sai4 d is hkely P tp until the safety device was mod 2- will have to temperanly cinge tefore then yesierday. They said they should not have analpis. for un urhescen reason. Thst uvuld lead u mb the chanees until their fint The, plant owners strongly disagreed fled. m :- - es, u ,4..o,..en u , ,,_, ,,,,g , p ,, a

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