Exelon Nuclear Stations Well Prepared for Hurricane Sandy Pre-storm Inspections and Safeguards Completed

All Exelon nuclear stations are robust and fortified facilities, capable of withstanding the most severe weather, including hurricanes and floods. Extra precautions have been taken at each Pennsylvania facility, including increased staffing, pre-staging of emergency equipment, activating back-up communications, and securing outside equipment and materials.

“These extra storm precautions make our safe facilities even safer,” said Chris Mudrick, Exelon Senior VP for Mid-Atlantic Operations. “Our plants are designed to withstand the most severe weather conditions and we will continue to take actions that keep our stations, our workers and the public safe.”

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NRC Prepared For Approach Of Hurricane Sandy, Stations Inspectors At Nuclear Plants Expected To Be Most Impacted

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made preparations for Hurricane Sandy, with inspectors at all nuclear power plants that could potentially experience impacts from the storm. The inspectors are independently verifying that plant operators are making the proper preparations, are following relevant procedures and are taking appropriate actions to ensure plant safety before, during and after the storm.

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Japan’s Nuclear Emergency Zone Study Shows Worldwide Deficiencies

From SimplyInfo:

The US has a 10 mile (16km) evacuation zone around nuclear plants but have stated they may not issue evacuation orders for everyone inside that zone. Instead they intend to ask only select people to leave based on their location and prevailing winds. Most evacuation zones in Germany are 10km (6.21 miles) some are 2km (1.24 miles) and 10km (6.21 miles) with an outer 25km (15.53 miles) zone. The IAEA suggests 30km evacuation zones (18.84 miles), the US and Germany do not meet that standard. The IAEA also suggests evacuating anywhere the levels reach 100 mSv, the Japanese models found this quickly would happen even outside the 30km zone. The US also declared an 80km evacuation suggestion around Fukushima Daiichi yet impose no such idea back in the US.

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NRC and Dreams of Safety Blog Post

From Union of Concerned Scientists

When the NRC says that the Oconee nuclear plant is safe despite not having yet implemented many required safety upgrades, or that San Onofre is safe despite not knowing why the plant’s steam generator tubes are degrading almost as fast as if they were water soluble, or that Browns Ferry is safe despite not meeting fire protection regulations adopted more than three decades ago in response to a disastrous fire at Browns Ferry, it’s not necessarily because these plants are safe. It may be because the NRC’s vocabulary is limited to only that label.

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Federal Register Notice (77 FRN 65137) For Waste Confidence EIS and Scoping

Greetings,

The NRC intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to support the rulemaking to update the Commission’s Waste Confidence Decision and Rule, and is conducting scoping to gather information necessary to prepare the EIS.  Today’s Federal Register notice (77 FRN 65137) announcing the scoping period and providing additional details about upcoming public meetings and webinars can be found at the following web address:  https://federalregister.gov/a/2012-26295.

Public comments on the scope of the Waste Confidence environmental review will be accepted through January 2, 2013.  Comments may be submitted through the Federal government’s rulemaking website, www.regulations.gov, using Docket ID NRC-2012-0246; by mail to Cindy Bladey, Chief, Rules, Announcements, and Directives Branch (RADB), Office of Administration, Mail Stop: TWB-05-B01M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001; or by fax to 301-492-3446.  Please do not send comments to this email address.

As part of the scoping process the NRC is planning to hold two webcast public meetings on November 14, 2012, and two webinars on December 5 and 6, 2012.  Meeting notices will be posted on the NRC’s public meeting website at http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfmapproximately two weeks before each meeting date.  The meeting notices will contain additional information, including agendas, teleconference phone line details, and information on how to access and participate in the webinars.  This information will also be provided on the NRC’s Waste Confidence public website – http://www.nrc.gov/waste/spent-fuel-storage/wcd.html – which will be updated regularly with new public documents and information regarding the waste confidence EIS and rule.

We will send additional emails providing links to the meeting notices once they are issued.  Any immediate questions regarding the scoping process can be directed to Sarah Lopas, NEPA Communications Project Manager – Sarah.Lopas@nrc.gov or telephone (301) 492-3425.

Sincerely,

Staff of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Waste Confidence Directorate

Price Anderson Coverage Cleanup Costs

Does Price Anderson Cover Offsite Economic Costs? ANI implied that it does to the NRC Commissioners; NRC OGC representative told ACRS that he doesn’t know; Inside EPA investigative report, supported by emails between EPA, NRC, FEMA obtained by FOIA, July 2010 concluded that Price Anderson only covered partial costs-not cleanup. The report said that,

NRC officials also indicated during the meetings that the industry-funded account established under the Price Anderson Act -- which Congress passed in 1957 in an effort to limit the industry's liability -- would likely not be available to pay for such a cleanup. The account likely could only be used to provide compensation for damages incurred as the result of an accident, such as hotel stays, lost wages and property replacement costs, the documents show, leaving federal officials unsure where the money to pay for a cleanup would come from.

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Dominion Resources to close Kewaunee, Wis., nuclear power plant after failing to find buyer

From The Washington Post:

The Richmond, Va.-based energy provider said that the 556-megawatt facility in Carlton, Wis., is expected to stop producing power in the second quarter of 2013 and move to safe shutdown status. Dominion plans to record an after-tax $281 million charge in the third quarter related to the closing and decommissioning of the station.

The company had announced plans in April 2011 to sell the facility it purchased from Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and Wisconsin Power & Light Co. in 2005 for $220 million, as part of a strategic review of its assets. Dominion had previously planned to acquire additional plants and build a business around that portfolio.

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Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Peach Bottom

REQUEST FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE FOR PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 2 AND 3 (TAC NOS. ME9631 AND ME9632)

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Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Peach Bottom

REQUEST FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE FOR PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 2 AND 3 (TAC NOS. ME9631 AND ME9632)

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NRC has Failed to Adequately Address Flood Risks at Nuclear Plants from Dam Failures, Report Finds

From Union of Concerned Scientists:

Thirty-four nuclear reactors—one-third of the U.S. fleet—could face flooding hazards greater than they were designed to withstand if an upstream dam fails, according to the report, which was written by NRC staff members in July of last year. The NRC has known about these risks for at least 15 years and has failed to adequately address them.

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Susquehanna Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 ­ ACCEPTANCE OF REQUESTED LICENSING ACTION RE: CHANGE TO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION SURVEILLANCE REQUIREMENTS TO INCREASE DIESEL GENERATOR MINIMUM STEADY STATE VOLTAGE (TAC NOS. ME9607 AND ME9608)

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Susquehanna Acceptance of Requested Licensing Action

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 ­ ACCEPTANCE OF REQUESTED LICENSING ACTION RE: CHANGE TO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION SURVEILLANCE REQUIREMENT 3.8.1.19 TO INCREASE DIESEL GENERATOR E'MINIMUM STEADY STATE FREQUENCY (TAC NOS. ME9609 AND ME9610)

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Where To Go When You Need Help

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Susquehanna Issuance of Amendments

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNITS 1 AND 2 - ISSUANCE OF AMENDMENTS RE: APPROVAL OF CYBER SECURITY PLAN MILESTONES 3 AND 6 (TAC NOS. ME8521 AND ME8522)

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Exelon Fleet Physical Security Plan

BRAIDWOOD STATION, UNIT NOS 1 AND 2; BYRON STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2; CLINTON POWER STATION, UNIT NO.1; DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 1, 2AND 3; LASALLE COUNTY STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2; LIMERICK GENERATING STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2; OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION; PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 1,2, AND 3; QUAD CITIES NUCLEAR POWER STATION, UNIT NOS. 1 AND 2; AND THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 - REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING PHYSICAL SECURITY PLAN, TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION PLAN, AND SAFEGUARDS CONTINGENCY PLAN

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TMI, Unit 1 - NRC Security Inspection

THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR STATION, UNIT 1 - NRC SECURITY INSPECTION REPORT NO. 0500028912012403

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Exelon Generation Completes Installation of State-of-the-Art Siren System for TMI

Comprehensive Testing Schedule Announced

LONDONDERRY TOWNSHIP, PA (Oct.2, 2012) – Exelon Generation has completed the installation of a new state-of-the-art siren system around Three Mile Island (TMI) Generating Station, part of a $13 million investment to upgrade sirens around the company’s nuclear stations.

The new system includes 96 sirens with improved sound coverage and battery back-up capability. This ensures the sirens will be able to operate and provide notification if electrical service is interrupted.

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Request for Withholding Information From Public Disclosure for Susquehanna

REQUEST FOR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC DISCLOSURE FOR SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION (TAC NOS. ME9083 AND ME9084)

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Bell Bend Nuclear Plant On Hold; Water Use Plan Denied

SRBC is currently reviewing both surface water and consumptive use applications for BBNPP. Based on our review of PPL’s consumptive use mitigation needs, SRBC staff has determined that it cannot recommend approval of operations at Holtwood, as proposed, to meet the mitigation requirement at BBNPP. Holtwood’s downstream location would leave approximately 120 river miles unmitigated during designated low flow periods. This does not preclude using operations at Holtwood as potential mitigation for other, more appropriate PPL assets.

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Susquehanna Notice of Licensee Meeting with PPL

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, Units 1 and 2
October 16, 2012
5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - Meeting

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NRC Seeks Comment on Proposed Guidance for Examining Plant Response to Updated Flooding Hazards

The NRC began examining flooding issues, in the form of upstream dam failures, prior to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. That work was incorporated into the agency’s post-Fukushima efforts, which include requiring all U.S. plants to re-analyze potential flooding hazards at their sites using the latest available information. The plants will use present day guidance and analysis methods that have been used in new reactor applications to analyze hazards including stream and river flooding, hurricane storm surges, tsunami, and dam failures. In May, the NRC announced a schedule for all U.S. nuclear power plants to complete the hazard re-analysis by March of 2015.

If the re-analyzed flood hazards exceed the levels a plant was originally designed for, the plant will tell the NRC what interim measures it will use to safely deal with the new hazard. The plant will also perform an “integrated assessment” to identify specific vulnerabilities and examine how existing or planned systems or procedures will prevent or mitigate flood damage.

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