Coalition challenges Davis-Besse AMPs re: propagating cracks in severely degraded Shield Building

An NRC inspector examines severe cracking in the Davis-Besse Shield Building shortly ater they were first revealed on Oct. 11, 2011. NRC file photo.Terry Lodge, Toledo-based attorney for an environmental coalition (including Beyond Nuclear) resisting FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company's (FENOC) proposed 20-year license extension at its problem-plagued Davis-Besse atomic reactor, has filed the 7th contention in the coalition's nearly 4-year long intervention. The coalition has issued a press release.

The contention focuses on FENOC's admission that the cracking propagation, or worsening, is in fact aging-related, making it within the scope of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) proceeding, and worthy of a hearing on the merits.

FENOC's admissions are to be found in a July 3rd document, containing modifications to its Shield Building Management Program Aging Management Plans (AMPs). The modifications represent amendments to its Davis-Besse License Renewal Application (LRA). The Sandusky Register has reported on this story, quoting Beyond Nuclear staff. More.