Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
2/13/2015
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector should improve it oversight of spent fuel pools at commercial reactor sites, the NRC Inspector General said in a report released this week. Adequate oversight exists now, the IG report said, but it noted regulatory uncertainties and issues with the inspection program. “NRC provides adequate oversight of spent fuel pools and the fuel they contain to protect public health and safety and the environment; however, opportunities exist for improvement,” the report said. “Specifically, we found that regulatory uncertainty exists in NRC’s evaluation of spent fuel pool criticality safety analyses. In addition, there are gaps in NRC’s spent fuel pool inspection program as inspections of spent fuel pools greatly vary between licensee sites and are limited in scope.”
One of the major problems with the criticality analysis mentioned in the report was the lack of clarity of what licensees needed to submit to the NRC. In some cases, what is submitted does not include all the information needed for an adequate review. “Licensees submit their criticality analyses to NRC for review but often the analyses are inadequate or insufficient according to NRC,” the report said. “NRC typically responds to criticality analysis submissions by sending licensees large numbers of requests for additional information (RAI). A licensee likened the RAI process to a ‘fishing expedition,’ noting that it required a lot of resources and research with little instruction on how to address the questions.” The back and forth results in issues with effectiveness and efficiency, the report said.
When it comes to the inspection process, the NRC does not have an outlined process to inspect the pool, the report said. The inspection procedure for spent fuel pools was left out of the Reactor Oversight Process, the guidelines for inspecting other parts of the reactor, because the baseline inspection program is primarily based on the risk associated with reactor core damage when the reactor fuel is in the reactor vessel. “Full-time resident inspectors and regional inspectors must complete baseline inspections and choose inspection areas using a risk-informed approach based on potential risk and past operational experience, as well as on regulatory requirements,” the report said. “Thus, inspections of spent fuel pools at operating reactors depend on the experience of the resident inspectors and the history of the plant.”
As recommendations to better address spent fuel pool oversight, the IG suggested more detailed regulations. The IG recommended “developing and issuing detailed licensee guidance along with NRC internal procedures; developing and implementing spent fuel pool inspection guidance at operating reactors; developing an enforceable neutron-absorbing material aging management program; and updating Inspection Manual Chapter 2561 and Inspection Procedure 60801.” According to the report, NRC management “stated their general agreement with the findings and recommendations.”
