Edison Never Told Federal Regulators Of San Onofre Equipment Design Flaw

As reported by KPBS, a watchdog has called for a federal invetigation into Southern CA Edison's having hidden from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), at a 2006 meeting, its knowledge of flaws in the San Onofre Unit 2 & 3 replacement steam generators. A radioactive steam leak from a failed steam generator tube in January 2012 ultimately led to the permanent shutdown of the two reactors in June 2013. Incredibly, Southern California Edison is seeking to charge ratepayers billions of dollars extra for its "lost profits" and other costs related the permanent shutdown, even though it already charged them for the replacement steam generators, that it knew were defective nine years ago!

Agenda and slides for Oct. 20 NRC ACRS mtg. on reactor pressure vessel embrittlement/pressurized thermal shock risk

On Oct. 20th, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) THERMAL-HYDRAULIC PHENOMENA SUBCOMMITTEE will hold a meeting on reactor pressure vessel (RPV) embrittlement/pressurized thermal shock (PTS) risk, as well as other risks associated with age-related degradation of RPVs.

The agenda and slides (see links below) have just been provided. As they indicate, the nuclear power utilities involved (PWROG, Pressurized Water Reactors Owners Group), including Entergy Nuclear at the Palisades atomic reactor on the Lake Michigan shore in Covert, MI (the worst embrittled RPV in the U.S.), have invoked proprietary information privileges/trade secrecy. The only public portion of the meeting will take place from 8:30 to 9:30am Eastern time. A public comment opportunity will be provided at the end of the public portion of the meeting, from 9:30 to 9:45am Eastern.

Concerned citizens and environmental group representatives are encouraged to listen-in to the public portion of the meeting, and to provide oral public comments by phone during the allotted time. The Call-In Number is (866) 822-3032, Passcode: 8272423

The WCAP document has been declared proprietary, so NRC will not provide it to the public. Only the open, public portion of the presentation slides have been provided by NRC to the public.

Links to limited documents made available to the public:

Meeting Agenda;

WCAP-17788 Volume 1, Introduction, Gordon Wissinger, AREVA Inc., PWR Owners Group;

Overview of WCAP-17788, In-Vessel Debris Limits for Closure of NRC Generic Letter 2004-02, Jeffrey Brown, Pressurized Water Reactor Owners Group;

ACRS Thermal Hydraulic Sub-Committee Meeting on Topical Report WCAP-17788, "Comprehensive Analysis and Test Program for GSI-191 Closure," Jonathon Rowley (NRR/DPR), PWR Owners Group Project Manager, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Environmental coalition urges Mayor and City Commission of Kalamazoo to take action on Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor

NRC file photo of Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor, located in Covert Township, Van Buren County, Michigan, on the Lake Michigan shorelineBelow are links to documents presented to the Kalamazoo City Commission on 10/19/15 by a coalition, including members of the Michigan Safe Energy Future--Kalamazoo Chapter (MSEF), the Sierra Club Southwest Michigan Chapter, and the Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Michigan Committee. 

They were included as part of the request for support of a Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Michigan Committee initiated draft resolution.

Mark Muhich of Jackson, MI serves as the Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Michigan Committee's chairman.

The initiative seeks support for an environmental coalition's hard won evidentiary hearings before a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel (ASLBP). The hearings are regarding reactor pressure vessel (RPV) age-related degradation risks at Entergy Nuclear's Palisades atomic reactor. Palisades is located on the Lake Michigan shoreline in Covert, MI (four miles south of South Haven, and less than 40 miles upwind of Kalamazoo; see photo, above left).

The environmental coalition also asked that the Mayor of Kalamazoo, Bobby Hopewell, write a letter to the NRC Commissioners, supporting the ASLBP hearings, similar to a letter sent by the Grand Rapids Mayor, George Heartwell, to the NRC Chairman, Steven Burns, on July 30, 2015.

Iris Potter, a coordinator for the MSEF--Kalamazoo Chapter, also presented a memo to the Mayor and City Commission of Kalamazoo, urging action.

The ASLBP granted a hearing to an environmental coalition on June 18, 2015, regarding technical contentions related to Palisades' admitted violation of NRC reactor pressure vessel safety screening criteria as early as Dec. 2016. Palisades' loss of RPV fracture toughness is due to neutron radiation embrittlement, thermal stresses, the decision not to install a thermal shield during construction nearly a half-century ago, and other factors. 

Entergy Nuclear immediately appealed the ASLBP's ruling granting the hearing.

In August, 2015 the Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Campaign filed a Friend of the Court brief in support of the hearings, opposing Entergy's appeal. Wally Taylor serves as Sierra Club Nuclear-Free Campaign legal counsel.

The environmental coalition (comprised of Beyond Nuclear, Don't Waste MI, MSEF, and Nuclear Energy Information Service of Chicago) has also appealed a ruling to the NRC Commissioners--the ASLBP's earlier rejection of a related contention on Palisades' RPV neutron radiation embrittlement, acknowledged numerous times over past years and decades as the worst of any reactor in the U.S. Terry Lodge serves as the environmental coalition's legal counsel.

The dueling appeals are before the NRC Commissioners, awaiting their ruling. If the NRC Commissioners rule against Entergy's appeal, the hearings will proceed, with oral arguments currently set for early 2016.

Beyond Nuclear on Solartopia radio show: DYING NUKES THAT TERRIFY US ALL

Solartopia author and radio show host Harvey WassermanBeyond Nuclear's reactor oversight project director, Paul Gunter, and radioactive waste watchdog, Kevin Kamps, joined with Don't Waste Michigan's Michael Keegan on Harvey Wasserman's (photo, left) Solartopia radio show (named after the title of his book) on the Progressive Radio Network. Listen to the audio recording.

(Please note, there may be a minute or two of echo/feedback midway through the show -- just forward through that part.)

Here is Wasserman's summary:

We visit DYING NUKES THAT TERRIFY US ALL with MICHAEL KEEGAN of Don’t Waste Michigan and PAUL GUNTER and KEVIN KAMPS of Beyond Nuclear.

The debate over atomic energy is over.  FUKUSHIMA has shown the world that nuke reactors will explode and destroy whole sections of a country while contaminating oceans.  Germany’s ENERGIEWIND is showing that the transition to 100% renewables can be done quickly, cleanly and profitably.

But we’re left in the US with 99 dying nukes that truly terrify us all.  Starting in Michigan, at Monroe, we deal with Fermi Unit I, which nearly exploded in 1966;  Fermi 2 which is now falling apart; and Fermi 3, which Detroit Edison wants to build at massive ratepayer expense.

We then shift to the truly horrifying Davis-Besse reactor near Toledo, which operated for years with a massive hole in its head, and which has a shield building that’s literally crumbling.  It’s owner wants a $3 billion public bailout to keep endangering all of the Great Lakes region.

We also visit Pilgrim near Boston, which is officially in violation of both NRC production standards and NRC safety standards.  Paul tells that October 10 we will hear a major announcement from Energy, which owns this dying nuke.

Over the coming weeks we will “tour” the national fleet of reactors that need to shut ASAP.  Let’s hope Pilgrim will now lead the way to the end of this insane industry!!!