NRC Issues Confirmatory Order, $50,000 Civil Penalty to HDI Over Security-Related Violations at Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: I-22-002 January 26, 2022
CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330
Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
NRC Issues Confirmatory Order, $50,000 Civil Penalty to HDI Over Security-Related Violations at Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a confirmatory order to Holtec Decommissioning International LLC following an Alternative Dispute Resolution mediation session regarding security-related violations at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant.
HDI has agreed on a series of corrective actions that the NRC will confirm during upcoming inspections at the Lacey Township (Ocean County), New Jersey, plant. Following completion of the corrective actions, the NRC will issue a civil penalty of $50,000 for the violations, which is a reduction from the base civil penalty of $150,000.
“This agreement will result in a number of significant actions that can be expected to improve the security programs not only at Oyster Creek but also at the other nuclear plants being decommissioned by HDI,” said NRC Region I Deputy Administrator Raymond Lorson.
The corrective actions are intended to address two violations and related performance aspects found during an NRC investigation at Oyster Creek concluded on March 11, 2021. During that investigation, the agency determined that a now-former security superintendent, who was also assigned armorer duties, deliberately failed to properly perform required annual material-condition inspections of response unit rifles and falsified related records.
The mediation session was conducted on Oct. 14, 2021. Under the ADR process, mediation is facilitated by a neutral third party who has no decision-making authority but assists the NRC and a licensee in reaching an agreement when differences exist regarding an enforcement action.
Corrective actions agreed to by HDI include making the corporate security director a standalone position; the use of external experts to conduct independent assessments of security at Oyster Creek and other Holtec-owned decommissioning nuclear power plants; and the implementation of training and communications related to the issue.
A copy of the confirmatory order will be made available in the NRC’s electronic documents system, ADAMS.
The NRC will be issuing a Severity Level III Notice of Violation to the former superintendent.
These enforcement actions are separate and distinct from the NRC’s issuance of a $150,000 civil penalty to HDI on Dec. 22, 2021, for other security-related violations at Oyster Creek.
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