ML20135E167

Forwards Copies of Viewgraphs to Be Presented at NRC 970204 Meeting

ML20135E167
Person / Time
Site:	Maine Yankee
Issue date:	01/30/1997
From:	Linnell W AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED
To:	Shirley Ann Jackson, The Chairman NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
Shared Package
ML20135E162	List: ML20135E158 ML20135E167
References
NUDOCS 9703060304
Download: ML20135E167 (10)

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• • FEBt03-97 O'1:23 PM JULIE A. LINHELL,ESQ. 2077996711 4

Maine Safe Energy P.O. Box 40.14.Ponland MTi 04101 Phone 207 772 2958. Fat 207 7801266

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l Safe energyfor Maine... It's in our hands !

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743 l

t The Honorable Shirley Jackson, January 30, 1997 Chairwoman United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Washington, D.C. 20555 VIA FAX re

February 4, 1997, presentation at NRC

Dear Chairwoman Jackson,

Attached herewith are copies of the viewgraphs which I will be presenting on Tuesday.

In addition to these viewgraphs and my oral comments, I would like to submit several questions for you. Of course, I don't

! expect answcrs to these questions next week. but I would i appreciate a response from you or your staff at your convenience:

i) I would like to know approximately how much high-level radiation, in curies, is produced annually by Maine Yankee, and approximately how much radiation, in curies, is present in *he spent fuel pool there. I have been told that Maine Yankee producer, about ten million curies of high level waste per year, 3

and that there are approximately 230 million curies of high-level l waste in the Opent fuel pool today. Could you let me know if 4 these estimates are correct?

11) I understand that a controversy developed in the early 1970's over whether or not the Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) in Light-Water reactors would work. I also understand that a series of five mock tests of ECCS conducted in 1970 to 1971 by Idaho Nuclear all failed. I would like to know if this controversy was ever resolved? If it was resolved, what tests or studies that you are confident in demonstrate same?

I look forward to meeting you on Tuesday.

Best wishes, a

William S.Linnell II Spokesperson 9703060304 970228 PDR ADOCK 05000309 H PDR

.1 Has Maine Yankee Credibility I!

, Been a Problem? i!;!

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"We don't feel there is any technical merit to these El allegations. We feel the emergency core cooling "

system and all the safety systems at the plant are jl adequate." F!

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-Marshall Murphy, Maine Yankee spokesman, after an anonymous letter prompted a probe of jl conditions at the nuclear power plant. j!

Maine Sunday Telegram December 10,1995 Slide 1 n

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Economic Pressure:

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E' First Root Cause of Safety Problems  ?

at Maine Yankee E!

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-NRC Independent Safety Assessment Team (ISAT) m Report, Section 5.3.1, page 71, October,1996. 3'

i Slide 2 i{

Jr Economic Pressure: ~!

Lack of Retained Earnings j u

5; 1

"Unlike most utilities, MYAPCo does not retain  ;!

earnings and does not set aside reserve funds for $!

unplanned requirements, except those required by i!

law. All monies in excess of operational expenses E are periodically returned to the owners. The owner E utilities are required to either capitalize or immediately finance emergent requirements from ll their operating budgets." l}

-lSAT Report, Section 4.3.3, page 68.

Slide 3 ,.

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'? i NRC Commissioners Discuss  !!

First Root Cause il a!

Commissioner McGaffigan:

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3l "It struck me that this owner-operator interaction h'

here is really sort of the heart of the matter, to some i degree. If they could retain some earnings, ifit didn't always go back to the owners [

instantaneously, which must come from pressure from the owners, then some of these workarounds  !

might have been addressed earlier." i

-From the minutes of NRC Commissioners' Meeting, October 18,1996.

Slide 4 m h

,1 5I Maine Yankee Disagrees with the Cause i!

of the First Root Cause ll

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"With respect to the issue of ownership structure, ;l we respectfully suggest that Maine Yankee's non-  ;!

traditional ownership structure and practice of not 4

retaining earnings is not a contributor to the ISA's ll b!

first root cause.....the actual limiting factor has been l management's funding requests." "l

"/,

-Maine Yankee response to ISAT Roport, section 1- !i~

2, dated December 10.1996.

Slide 5 7 h!

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The Mother and Father of All  !;

Workarounds:

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TMI Action Plan items ll.K.3.30 and 3 II.K.3.31 *

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Ei Operator workarounds have been appropriately 5l identified as chronic problems. Yet Maine Yankee has been allowed to " work around" critical TMI s;

Action Plan items II.K.3.30 and 31. Meanwhile, the j' NRC has not produced the analysis to justify E;

. operation of Maine Yankee at any power level.

Slide 6 5i i

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The Mother and Father of All  !!

Workarounds: >

TMI Action Plan items II.K.T.30 i!

and II.K.3.31 (continued)  ?

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r t 4 = How can the NRC expect licensees to follow NRC 1

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regulations, to avoid workaround conditions, if the Commissioners allow the biggest workarounds of gl them all to continue? 3i d

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Slide 7 5l

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4 is Maine Yankee Owners' s; Credibility a Problem? !l

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• Just ask them what they pay for replacement a!

. power when Maine Yankee is shut down. Maine r !

Yankee's owners have been leading the pub!!c to believe that replacement power is more costly than

[l Maine Yankee power. il E

In truth, Maine Yankee power is now about 50%

more expensive than replacement power. CMP has  !!

been saving over $2 million per month on s!

replacement power purchases. If they are willing to EI deceive the public, why should the NRC or anyone else trust them? ,

Slide 8 i!

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Conclusions  ?.l f

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i Maine Yankee owners' excuse for inadequate  ;'

funding is simply not believable. r i!

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If the NRC intends to deal with the first root cause hi O I of economic stress, the NRC must act decisively '!

and forcefully on the retained earnings issue. ,

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Slide 9 j

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