[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 93 (Monday, May 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11788]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 16, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 

All Power Reactor Licensees; Receipt of Petition for Director's 
Decision

    Notice is hereby given that by Petition dated April 13, 1994, Paul 
M. Blanch (Petitioner) has requested that the NRC take immediate action 
with regard to all power reactor licensees, concerning the potential 
meltdown of the fuel in the spent fuel pools for all reactors in the 
United States. Specifically, the Petitioner requests that: (1) The NRC 
immediately issue an information notice or other appropriate 
notification forwarding all information in its possession to all power 
reactor licensees regarding the potential meltdown of fuel in spent 
fuel pools, and reminding licensees of their responsibilities to 
perform timely operability determinations in accordance with their 
technical specifications and NRC Generic Letter 91-18; (2) each 
licensee immediately perform an evaluation of compliance of this 
potential deficiency with respect to its current licensing basis; (3) 
the NRC deny all requests for license amendments for the expansion of 
spent fuel pool capacity until these safety concerns are fully 
resolved; and (4) after evaluation by each licensee, if the NRC 
determines there is little or no risk to the public health and safety, 
the NRC may issue a Notice of Enforcement Discretion.
    As bases for his request, the Petitioner asserts that the NRC was 
informed approximately one and one-half years ago of a potential 
substantial nuclear safety hazard at the Susquehanna Steam Electric 
Station and the NRC has intentionally withheld this information from 
other utilities. According to the Petitioner, this hazard involves a 
major design flaw such that during a design basis loss of coolant 
accident, the electrical power to the fuel pool cooling system would be 
turned off, resulting in loss of cooling for the spent fuel pool. The 
Petitioner alleges that radiation levels in the reactor building would 
prohibit operators from entering the reactor building to restart the 
system. According to the Petitioner, if cooling is not restored, the 
water in the spent fuel pool will boil, water will evaporate and, since 
the valves which must be opened to provide replacement water are within 
the inaccessible reactor building, replacement water cannot be 
provided, resulting in high onsite and offsite radiation levels and a 
meltdown of the spent fuel in the pool resulting in release of massive 
amounts of airborne radioactivity outside of primary and secondary 
containment. The Petitioner alleges further that the residual heat 
removal system could not cool the fuel pool under accident conditions, 
and that if replacement water could be provided, the temperature and 
humidity conditions would be generated in the reactor building which 
would cause the emergency systems to fail, resulting in additional 
meltdown and failure of the primary and secondary containment.
    The request is being treated pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 of the 
Commission's regulations. The request has been referred to the Director 
of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. By letter dated May 5, 
1994, the Petitioner's request for immediate action has been denied.
    A copy of the Petition is available for inspection at the 
Commission's Public Document Room at 2120 L Street, NW. (lower level), 
Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 6th day of May 1994.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
William T. Russell,
Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.
[FR Doc. 94-11788 Filed 5-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M