Seabrook Ordered to do Safety Inspection

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A problem in one nuclear power plant in Kansas prompted the requirement by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
NRC Spokesman Neil Sheehan says that a recent inspection at Wolf Creek, Kansas uncovered some flaws in cooling system pipe welds..
(Sheehan 1) :19
“They later determined that the welding flaws were a result of the plant operation as opposed to when the plant was constructed. So, the concern is that if these flaws were to lead to the rupture of a pipe, it could make it more challenging for operators to safely shut down the plant.”
The faulty welds were repaired at that plant, but the NRC decided to send letters to operators of all similar pressurized water reactor plants.
And that includes Seabrook.
(Sheehan 2) :24
“If they find any flaws in their plants, they would have to go in and make repairs. The guidelines for monitoring the leakage are very stringent. It basically requires if they see more than 0.1 gallons per minute increase in unidentified leakage that is sustained for 72 hours or more, they would have to shut down.”

At the Seabrook Nuclear Plant, spokesman Allan Griffith says that during the last refueling in the fall, engineers found no leakage problems.
But, he says that the NRC’s requirement is a nationwide response.
(Griffith 1) :13
“It’s not uncommon for the industry to take a situation at another site, at another plant and share that with the rest of the industry to insure that there are no similar issues at similar plants.”
The NRC has ordered affected plants to shut down to make inspections of the cooling system.
But Griffith says Seabrook officials have not yet determined when that might take place or how long a shutdown might take.
The next scheduled shutdown for refueling, he says is in April of 2008.
(Griffith 2) :18
“So, the whole idea would be that we are able to conduct these more intensive examinations, if you will, of the reactor cooling system in a refueling outage that is already scheduled as opposed to having an unplanned shutdown, which is not something a nuclear power plant would want to do.”
Meanwhile, Griffith wants to assure the public that plant management continues to monitor the cooling system for leaks.
David Lockbaum is an expert in Nuclear Power plant safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
He says that the problem at Wolf Creek is related to older power plants.
(Lockbaum) :17
“The longer you operate, the higher temperature you operate, and the worse your water chemistry is, the more likely you are to have this cracking problem. Because Seabrook is relatively young, its less likely to have this cracking to the extent that some of the older plants are experiencing.”
However, Lockbaum says that just because the Seabrook Plant is younger than Wolf Creek, doesn’t mean it is invulnerable to similar cooling system cracks.
(Lockbaum 2) :08
“The problem at Wolf Creek got much much much worse than it should have been, so, we need to rethink how we’re inspecting plants so we stop having those kinds of surprises.”
One positive, says Lockbaum, is that the NRC acted on its plan to require other nuclear plants like Seabrook to conduct inspections and make repairs if necessary.
For NHPR News, this is Roger Wood.