Representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Holtec International are scheduled to meet on Jan. 9 to discuss two possible violations in the energy services firm’s design for a spent nuclear fuel storage cask.
The apparent violations, identified during an inspection in May of Holtec headquarters in Camden, N.J., could lead to fines or other forms of escalated enforcement by the NRC. They relate to broken standoff pins found last February in Holtec dry storage casks used during fuel-transfer operations at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in California.
The same cask design is used at seven other nuclear power plants around the country. One, Entergy’s Vermont Yankee facility, also temporarily suspended its own transfer of used fuel from wet to dry storage, following the SONGS incident.
The two apparent violations, according to the NRC, are:
- Holtec’s failure to ensure adequate design control measures were in place as of August 2016 for the “selection and review for suitability of application” of alternative 4-inch stainless steel standoff pins that ensure shims stay in place within the fuel canister.
- Failure to prepare a written evaluation required under federal regulations before revising the cask design for the standoff pins.
Holtec requested a predecisional enforcement conference to provide further information about the situation. The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. next Wednesday at NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md. It is open to the public.
The regulator generally makes its decision on enforcement several weeks after the conference, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said.
“Outcomes of the escalated enforcement review process can range from a determination that no violation(s) occurred to a notice of violation or a fine,” he said by email. “The NRC staff will have to take all of the relevant information under consideration before rendering a decision.”
