[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25509-25510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12693]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. 50-309]
Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company, Maine Yankee Atomic Power
Station; Receipt of Petition for Director's Decision Under 10 CFR 2.206
Notice is hereby given that by letter dated January 20, 1996,
Friends of the Coast--Opposing Nuclear Pollution (Petitioner) requested
that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) take action with regard to
the Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Station (Maine Yankee), licensed to
Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company (licensee).
Petitioner requests that the Commission take expedited action to:
[[Page 25510]]
(1) Suspend the operating license of Maine Yankee pending resolution of
the Petition; (2) examine and test by plug sampling--or other ASME
approved method--all large piping welds that may have been susceptible
to micro-fissures at the time of construction; (3) reanalyze Maine
Yankee containment as one located in an area where seismic risk is not
``low''; (4) reduce the licensed operating capacity of Maine Yankee to
a level consistent with a flawed containment and/or flawed reactor
coolant piping welds; (5) provide an informal public hearing in the
area of the plant regarding the Petition; and (6) place Petitioner on
service and mailing lists relevant to its interests in safety at Maine
Yankee and all public forums opened by the NRC.
As the basis for these requests, the Petition states that: (1) The
containment is inadequate for power operation in excess of the original
license, and may be inadequate for the original power operation limits
because of insupportable original design acceptance criteria, yet the
NRC staff recommended to the Commission that it grant a license
amendment permitting this design. It is further stated that the Maine
Yankee containment was designed and constructed without diagonal
reinforcement rods, based on low seismic risk. Additionally, after a
1979 earthquake of 4.2 magnitude and an epicenter less than 10 miles
from the plant site, the NRC ordered the shutdown of Maine Yankee until
piping and piping supports could be seismically qualified. There is no
public record, however, that the NRC reevaluated this marginally
acceptable containment design, including prior to granting license
amendments to operate at increased power; and (2) the Maine Yankee
emergency core cooling system (ECCS), reactor coolant piping, and other
large piping have not been adequately analyzed for materials
degradation to ensure integrity at power operation in excess of the
originally licensed power level, or under accident conditions. The
Atomic Energy Commission's concern with ``micro-fissures'' in reactor
coolant system welds led to appointment of a task force, and prompted
studies and reports in 1971 (prior to heightened awareness of
embrittlement phenomena) that concluded that the microfissures would
not propagate or grow under foreseeable conditions. The Petitioner
asserts that large pipe welds next to the reactor vessel have endured
23 years of corrosion, stress, vibration, and radiation and may fail,
initiating a loss-of-coolant accident, or may be subject to thermal
shock failure initiated by use of the ECCS.
The Petition has been referred to the Director of the Office of
Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206. As provided
by Section 2.206, appropriate action will be taken on the Petition
within a reasonable time. By letter dated May 13, 1996, the Director
denied the Petitioner's request for suspension of Maine Yankee's
operating license, pending resolution of the Petition.
A copy of the Petition is available for inspection at the
Commission's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street NW., Washington,
D.C. 20555-0001 and the local public document room in the Wiscasset
Public Library, High Street, P.O. Box 367, Wiscasset, ME 04578.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 13th day of May 1996.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 96-12693 Filed 5-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P
