The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is considering six staff recommendations for improving oversight of storage pads for spent nuclear fuel.
The recommendations include increased training for inspectors and updating relevant documents. They were generated by a lessons learned evaluation from the agency’s Region IV office regarding the NRC response to an August 2018 mishap involving spent fuel at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Diego County, Calif.
“The evaluation was conducted to determine if the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) processes to inspect, evaluate, and communicate the licensee’s event, performance, and corrective actions were appropriate and if any improvements should be captured into the NRC’s ISFSI Program and Region’s policies,” according to an April 3 memorandum from Greg Warnick, chief of the regulator’s Reactor Inspection Branch.
Following SONGS’ permanent shutdown in 2013, majority owner Southern California Edison (SCE) hired contractor Holtec International to transfer its remaining used fuel rods from cooling pools to an expanded independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) near the Pacific Ocean. On Aug. 3, 2018, one storage canister was left at risk of a nearly 20-foot drop for an hour while being placed into its storage slot.
That led to a special inspection by the NRC, which in March 2019 fined Southern California Edison $116,000 for violations of federal nuclear safety rules.
The agency’s ISFSI Inspection Program, along with augmented monitoring under its inspection manual and applicable federal regulations, proved “effective in assessing SCE’s performance and ensuring appropriate agency focus was placed on the SONGS ISFSI to ensure that performance problems were identified and addressed,” Warnick wrote.
Watchdog groups in the San Diego area have been more critical of the NRC’s monitoring of spent-fuel management and decommissioning operations at SONGS, and of its response to the 2018 event. One, Public Watchdogs, has repeatedly sought an order from the NRC or federal court to freeze these activities – to date, without success. On March 31, the organization filed a motion with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a temporary halt on decommissioning until Southern California Edison establishes a new plan for the cleanup.
As of August 2019, the NRC counted 79 ISFSIs in 35 states. Most were on the property of the nuclear power plants where the used fuel was generated.
Staff from Arlington, Texas-based Region IV developed eight recommendations gleaned from oversight at SONGS that could be applied to ISFSIs around the nation, according to Warnick. They would strengthen the agency’s ability to determine, study, and respond to potential problems in spent-fuel storage, he stated.
Two of the recommendations are already being addressed under the NRC’s separate program for enhancing its ISFSI inspections. That left six:
- Potentially adding training under the inspection manual covering training for ISFSI inspectors, including new courses.
- A potential update to a 2014 report setting guidelines for notification of events for operating nuclear power reactors and other licensees. The revision would add “descriptions and examples” from reporting requirements under NRC regulations for reporting requirements for specific events and conditions. “Guidance and examples for Part 72 notifications would improve a license holders’ ability to adequately determine if a notification to the NRC is required,” Warnick wrote.
- Potentially revising agency Enforcement Policy to compass examples specific to ISFSIs.
- A possible policy providing NRC Division of Fuel Management support beyond the process for technical assistance requests.
- Possibly dedicating additional resources to create an NRC team to a facility that has experienced a significant event.
- “Consider establishing regional guidance to document and capture learned guidance in: 1) setup and conduct of webinars, 2) setup of use of the NRC’s public website spotlight page, 3) learned enhancements to capture and address questions from the public, 4) directions for general improved staff engagement with the public, 5) learned enhancements on Congressional briefs, 6) learned enhancements for higher level NRC briefs.”
The NRC plans during the current 2020 federal budget year to consider the recommendations. Fiscal 2020 ends on Sept. 30.
