Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
6/13/2014
ORLANDO, Fla.—An effort by some lawmakers to restrict the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s ability to grant exemptions to safety and security requirements for nuclear power plants undergoing decommissioning was met with skepticism here this week by an NRC Commissioner and industry officials. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have introduced the “Safe and Secure Decommissioning Act of 2014,” which would prohibit the NRC from issuing exemptions from its emergency response or security requirements for spent fuel stored at nuclear reactors that have permanently shutdown until all of the spent nuclear fuel stored at the site has been moved into dry casks. Boxer is especially worried about the San Onofre Generating Station in her home state, which she feels hosts an over-crowded spent fuel pool in danger of an accident.
In remarks at this year’s EPRI Low-Level Waste conference, though, NRC Commissioner William Ostendorff said that when looked at “through a risk-informed view,” the NRC’s exemptions are “a no brainer.” Ostendorff said, “When you take the fuel out of the core and you are no longer operating that power plant, that situation presents less of a risk than was the case when that plant was operating.” He later added, “When there is fuel in the pool or dry cask, we still have robust security requirements in place at the site. Until a decision is made by the NRC, the higher standards are still in place.”
Ed Avella, SCE project manager for SONGS, accused the senators of seeking to play “politics” with their concerns. “It’s politics that are driving the emotion,” he said “It’s not what the regulatory requirements are, it’s not what good engineers are, and it’s not what nuclear professionals are. That’s Washington, D.C. We have a great country, but some screwy politics, and that’s what is driving the exemption debate.” He added, “I know from my utility and from my licensee staff and I can speak for the other plants that are recently decommissioning: Nobody is cutting corners. We are nuclear professionals, and it’s a little bit insulting to read the Safe and Secure Decommissioning Act of 2014. But that’s the reality. We are free country. Everyone gets a voice.”
SONGS Decommissioning Presents Challenges
Avella also presented at this week’s meeting an overview of the decommissioning work to be performed at the SONGS facility, some of which, he said, is more complicated than a normal decommissioning site. The SONGS facility is located on federal land that is maintained by the Navy. As part of the terms of the lease that enable SONGS to operate on the land, SCE must remove everything in order to terminate the lease. “We have a quirk in our lease with the federal government that says all subsurface improvements need to be removed for us to surrender our lease,” Avella said. “So if you think about what our decommissioning process is going to be, it’s not just removing what you would think is a normal decommissioning project, but it’s everything including the grout.”
The facility is located next to the ocean, and some underground improvements are located below sea level, Avella said. During construction, SCE used a pad that hovered over the ocean to enable better access, but new environmental laws prevent the use of another pad to help remove the material. This creates another problem in which the de-watered area below sea level could lead to ocean water exposure, Avella said.
Culture Shift Poses Challenges
Another challenge SONGS is facing, according to Avella, is the culture shock that affects the employees of the plant. For decades, the mindset of the staff was to maintain the plant and keep it operational, but the shift in focus to a more destructive mindset has been a hard transition. According to Lisa Edwards, EPRI program manager for Low-Level Waste, this has been a common problem for decommissioning sites. “In many of our interactions with the decommissioning program members, they describe a kind of mental effect of dismantling a plant on the operating staff,” Edwards said. “Quite frankly, for whatever reason you decommission a plant, [for] the operating staff, it’s a tough thing to do. In fact, we find it’s a double-edged sword. You need the folks you have been at the site for their historical knowledge of the site use, which becomes important in the remediation and recovering of the site. At the same time, sometimes their attachment to the plant can impede the progress of the decommissioning process.”
Zion Decom. Could End Ahead of Schedule, Below Estimate
While the SONGS facility is just beginning to establish its detailed decommissioning strategy, it appears the decommissioning of the Zion facility in Illinois may be coming to an end sooner than initially expected. According to ZionSolutions General Manager John Sauger, the project is set to be completed ahead of schedule and under budget. “You have probably heard rumors about Zion, but here is the reality,” Sauger told the audience at this week’s meeting. “It was originally scheduled to end in 2021, and it is approximately a $900 million job. This project is going to end of 2018 and its going to come in under budget. And if you don’t believe me, you don’t know me.” EnergySolutions took over decommissioning responsibility of the project from Exelon, and began active cleanup of the site in 2010.
