TMI Update: Jan 14, 2024


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Dear Nuclear Regulatory Commission:

Please accept the comments attached in response to the above referenced proceeding, published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2023 (Renewing Nuclear Power Plant Operating Licenses-Environmental Review), submitted on behalf of Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Alliance for a Green Economy, Citizens Resistance at Fermi Two, Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone, EFMR Monitoring Group at Three Mile Island, Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin, and Seacoast Anti-Pollution League.
 
Sincerely,
Timothy Judson (he/him)
 
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
(6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 340, Takoma Park, MD, 20912)
301-270-6477
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: I-23-003 May 1, 2023
CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330
Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331
 
NRC Initiates Special Inspection at Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 Nuclear Power Plant
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a Special Inspection at the Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 nuclear power plant to review issues associated with an emergency diesel generator at the facility. The twin-engine generator malfunctioned during recent testing and was the subject of an NRC enforcement action last year.
 
A three-member team arrived at the Lusby, Maryland, plant on May 1 to begin the inspection. The team will be supplemented by the NRC resident inspectors assigned to Calvert Cliffs, who have been following plant owner Constellation Energy’s actions on-site since the mechanical failure of the generator on April 24.
 
The NRC inspection team will gather key information regarding the problems involving the generator and will seek to better understand plant operators’ response. The team will document its findings in an inspection report to be issued within 45 days following the conclusion of the review.
 
“Because of redundant systems, this event did not directly impact plant safety,” NRC Region I Administrator Raymond Lorson said. “Nevertheless, our team has been tasked with learning more about why this problem occurred and what steps the company is taking to ensure it does not happen again.”
 
Operators have determined that the plant’s other emergency diesel generators are unlikely to have similar problems, but NRC inspectors are reviewing that assessment as part of this review.
 
Emergency diesel generators are considered a key safety component at nuclear power plants. In the event off-site power becomes unavailable, plants use the emergency diesel generators and battery systems to operate safety systems until it is restored.
 
Last September, the NRC finalized a “white,” or of low to moderate safety significance, inspection finding for Calvert Cliffs based on a problem involving the same emergency diesel generator. In that case, operators failed to prevent the introduction of foreign material into the generator, resulting in its automatic shutdown and failure during routine testing.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: III-23-007 April 25, 2023
Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng, 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil, 630-829-9663
 
NRC Begins Special Inspection at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has launched a special inspection at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station to investigate the circumstances surrounding ground settling occurrences at various locations around the plant.
 
The NRC determined a special inspection was necessary after learning that an October 2022 fire protection piping failure was likely caused by excessive stresses on piping from ground settling; learning of an additional fire protection piping failure in March 2023; and becoming aware of multiple occurrences of ground settling at the site. Fire protection piping, a system related to safety, delivers water to the plant for firefighting purposes.
 
The five-person special inspection team will establish a historical sequence of events related to ground-settling zones and assess the licensee’s actions to evaluate, monitor or mitigate the phenomenon and its potential impact on equipment important to safety. The team has expertise in operations, fire protection, aging of components, license renewal, geotechnical science, geology and geophysics/seismology.
 
NRC inspectors verified the plant was in a safe condition and that the licensee took prompt action to restore the fire protection function after both fire protection piping failures.
 
Upon completion of the special inspection, NRC inspectors will document their findings in a publicly available inspection report, which will be distributed electronically to listserv subscribers and available on the NRC website.
 
The plant, located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, is operated by Energy Harbor Corp.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 23-030 April 24, 2023
CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Diablo Canyon
Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation License Renewal
 
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hold an oral argument May 24 on whether a petitioner has standing and has proposed admissible contentions challenging Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s application to renew its license for the Diablo Canyon independent spent fuel storage installation in California.
 
The oral argument will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time in the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel Hearing Room at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Maryland, and members of the public may attend. Members of the public who wish to listen to the oral argument on a listen- only telephone line should contact the Board’s law clerk, Noel Johnson, at noel.johnson@nrc.gov for the telephone number and passcode. The oral argument will be transcribed and the transcript posted in the Electronic Hearing Docket on the agency website.
 
PG&E has applied for a 40-year renewal of its license for the independent spent fuel storage facility. The current license expires March 22, 2024. San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace has petitioned for an adjudicatory hearing to challenge aspects of the application. The Board will hear arguments from the petitioner, PG&E, and the NRC staff.
 
The Board is composed of three administrative judges from the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel. Boards conduct adjudicatory hearings on NRC licensing and enforcement actions. Board members are independent of the NRC staff. A Board’s ruling may be appealed to the Commission, the five-member body that sets NRC policy.
 
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For Immediate Release
April 5, 2023
 
Harckham Rebukes Holtec for Plan to Release Radioactive Wastewater into the Hudson
 
Peekskill, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham released the following statement regarding Holtec informing the Indian Point Energy Center Decommissioning Oversight Board (DOB) that it intends to begin releasing radioactive wastewater from the shutdown nuclear power plant into the Hudson River next month. This is three months earlier than when Holtec first announced the releasing of this wastewater would take place.
 
“While we have been in the middle of communications with Holtec centered on finding alternatives to dumping millions of gallons of radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River, its decision to expedite this action from August to May is simply an act of bad faith and corporate arrogance. It is no wonder that the communities along the river and even beyond continue to be outraged by Holtec’s handling of Indian Point’s decommissioning.
 
“Holtec’s agreeing to allow the state to test the radioactive wastewater as it travels to the Hudson is a small concession gained by our state agencies but not a solution to the problem. The point is that the DOB, residents and business owners should not be put into a ‘last to know’ position when it comes to dumping radioactive wastewater into the Hudson River. Holtec continues to pursue a course of action with scant acknowledgment of our communities’ concerns about this critical issue.”
 
Pete Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Somers and Yorktown, the towns/villages of Mount Kisco and Ossining, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County.
 
Contact:
Tom Staudter / Office of State Sen Pete Harckham
(914) 419-5221 mobile
Regarding Zion, La Crosse, Kewaunee, TMI-2 Reactors and ISFISI ownership control.
Our next Zoom call will be Monday April 17th @ 6pm Central / Golden Rule Planning will continue at 7pm Central.
N2
MJK
 
NRC Sent:
January 26, 2023
 
Russell G. Workman
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
EnergySolutions, LLC
299 S. Main Street Ste 1700
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
SUBJECT: ENERGYSOLUTIONS, LLC – REQUEST FOR THRESHOLD DETERMINATION
 
Dear Mr. Workman:
By letter dated November 23, 2022, as supplemented by letter dated January 13, 2023,
EnergySolutions, LLC (EnergySolutions) requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) make a threshold determination that a corporate transaction involving
companies upstream of the indirect majority owner of EnergySolutions would not result in a
transfer of control of Facility Operating License Nos. DPR-39 and DPR-48 for Zion Nuclear
Power Station (Zion), Units 1 and 2, respectively, and the general license for the Zion
independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI), Possession Only License No. DPR-73 for
Three Mile Island Nuclear Station, Unit 2 (TMI-2), Possession Only License No. DPR-45 for La
Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (La Crosse), and the general license for the La Crosse ISFSI, and
Renewed Facility Operating License No. DPR-43 for Kewaunee Power Station (Kewaunee), and
the general license for the Kewaunee ISFSI; Radioactive Materials License No. 39-35044-01;
and Export Licenses XW010/04 and XW018/01 that would require prior NRC approval under the
applicable NRC regulations.

The NRC staff has completed its review and concludes that the corporate transaction, as
presented in the request, will not constitute a direct or indirect transfer of control under the
applicable NRC regulations of the NRC licenses held by EnergySolutions and its wholly-owned
subsidiaries and will not result in foreign ownership, control, or domination issues. Therefore,
EnergySolutions does not require prior NRC approval for the corporate transaction. The
enclosed safety evaluation documents the NRC staff’s review and conclusion.
 
Zip of 5 documents
39-35044-01 633678 EnergySolutions, LLC (Change of Control)
PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNITS 2 AND 3 – ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF DISPUTE OF GREEN FINDING – NRC INSPECTION REPORT 05000277/2022004 AND 05000278/2022004
 
ADAMS ACCESSION NUMBER: ML23095A140
 
Subject: Summary of February 23, 2023, with Constellation Energy Generation, LLC on Proposed Changes to Emergency Plans to Revise Emergency Action Levels (EPID L-2023-LRM-0009)
 
ADAMS Accession No.: ML23055A035
 
 
Using Web-based ADAMS, select “Advanced Search”
Under “Property,” select “Accession Number”
Under “Value,” enter the Accession Number
Click Search
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: II-23-004 April 3, 2023
Contact: Dave Gasperson, 404-997-4417
 
NRC Proposes $70,000 Fine to Urenco USA Uranium Enrichment Facility
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $70,000 civil penalty for Urenco USA for two violations of agency requirements related to improperly implementing safety controls at its Eunice, New Mexico, plant.
 
The first violation occurred during a March 2022 event when plant staff found three construction vehicles parked near a building that handles uranium hexafluoride without physical barriers in place. The company notified the NRC as required and the agency launched a special inspection in response and documented its findings in a May 10, 2022, report.
 
The second violation occurred during a June 2022 event when plant management observed an employee not following established safety procedures for trucks entering an area near a building containing uranium hexafluoride cylinders. The company notified the NRC and the agency conducted a follow-up inspection Aug. 24, 2022.
 
During that inspection, NRC inspectors found that Urenco USA failed to implement adequate safety measures during both incidents. Specifically, the company did not take enough precautions to prevent a potential accident sequence involving construction vehicles damaging the facility or the uranium hexafluoride inside – increasing the risk to plant workers and the public.
 
Urenco USA was notified of the apparent violations Dec. 8, 2022. The company submitted a written response to the NRC Feb. 8, 2023, admitted the violations, and discussed their plans for corrective actions.
 
The NRC reviewed Urenco USA’s response and determined that while the incidents did not result in the release of radioactive material, the potential safety consequences of the violations warrant the proposed fine.
 
The company has 30 days to pay the proposed penalty or contest it. The NRC will consider any response from the company before making a final determination on the matter.

Plymouth nuclear power plant testimony–re-proposed Holtec tritiated hydrogen
release
 

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