Watchdogs: Yankee Audit is Inadequate
January 30, 2009
McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Bob Audette Brattleboro Reformer, Vt.
Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee ranks in the worst group of
reactors in half of the benchmark measures compared in a recent audit
of the plant's operations, said Ed Anthes, of Nuclear Free Vermont by
2012.
"The equipment reliability index performance does not meet
industry standards," he said, quoting from the comprehensive vertical
audit (CVA) of the nuclear power plant in Vernon.
The CVA was conducted last year after the Legislature wrote a law
requiring the inspection. The audit is meant to inform both the
Legislature and the state's Public Service Board when deciding whether
to allow Yankee to operate past its original license end date of 2012.
In 2006, Entergy, which owns and operates the 36-year-old boiling
water reactor, applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 20-
year license extension, which would allow the plant to continue to
produce power through 2032.
But even if Entergy receives approval from the NRC, the Vermont
Legislature must vote yes and the Public Service Board must issue a
certificate of public good stating the continued operation of the
plant is in the best interests of the state.
The CVA was released in December and a five-person public
oversight panel created to review the audit is expected to submit its
report sometime in February.
"This was not the comprehensive vertical audit called for by the
Legislature," said Anthes.
The inspection was done in less than one-third the time needed to
do the full inspection called for by the law, he said, attributing the
reduced time spent on the audit to directions from Gov. James Douglas'
administration.
"Even so, although the inspection was not as thorough and
detailed as called for by the law, it shows that the inspectors found
that Vermont Yankee is not a good bet going forward," said Anthes.
Nuclear Safety Associates, which was hired to conduct the audit,
concluded Vermont Yankee "can be a reliable station beyond its current
operating license."
But it did add that it can only be reliable if areas of concern
emphasized in the report are "effectively addressed."
The Benchmark Report in the CVA compares Vermont Yankee to all other reactors in the United States.
"Yankee ranks in the worst group of reactors in half of the
benchmark measures compared," said Anthes.
The areas where Yankee ranked low in the benchmark analysis
included plant overall performance, production costs, recordable
injuries, the number of systems supervised by each system manager and
its equipment performance as compared to other reactors.
Of 12 similar reactors around the country, Yankee rated 10th in
equipment reliability performance. It ranked 11th out of 12 in
Entergy's fleet of nuclear reactors in the fleet equipment reliability
performance benchmark.
"Yankee is in the worst performance category as compared to the
overall industry," said Anthes.
"The overall conclusions of the report show Vermont Yankee is
reliable and can be operated reliably in the future," said Rob
Williams, spokesman for Yankee. "As we recently stated, the report
identified a number of different areas where VY can strengthen
programs and improvement efforts to help ensure the plant operates
reliably during the next 20 years. We also stated that we are in the
process of developing a detailed response to the insights and
recommendations in the report."
A spokesman from another anti-nuclear group said the
reliability-focused CVA is neither an adequate or appropriate tool to
address the prime concerns of people who live in the region.
"Taking comfort in the CVA is like sucking on a pebble to relieve
hunger," said Ray Shadis, a board member of the New England Coalition
on Nuclear Pollution, which opposes the relicensing of Yankee.
The CVA was loaded with vague language that placed ultimate
discretion for audit details in the hands of the Department of Public
Service, he said, and DPS in turn negotiated what would be examined
and how with Entergy.
"People are primarily concerned with declining safety margins,
not reliability," Shadis said. "What is called for -- in the face of
increasing equipment and structural failures, leaks, fires,
fitness-for-duty issues, security failures, fuel handing incidents, radiation protection failures, and all the rest of the alarming
findings and events that have marked Entergy's tenure -- is a full
NRC-conducted safety-focused diagnostic team inspection, a second
Independent Safety Assessment."
NEC is an intervenor, and the sole intervenor focused on the
condition and maintenance of Entergy Vermont Yankee systems,
structures, and components, he said.
On Feb. 6, NEC will be submitting testimony to the Public Service
Board, said Shadis.
A portion of NEC's testimony will be devoted to a critique of the
CVA.
"It's irresponsible for Gov. Douglas and (DPS Commissioner) David
O'Brian to ignore safety concerns," said Clay Turnbull, a local member
of NEC. "Thousands of Vermonter's have petitioned Gov. Douglas to
request that the NRC come to Vermont and perform their own Independent
Safety Assessment of VY."
The NSA report points to the urgent need for Douglas to reverse
his position that Vermonters should look the other way when it comes
to safety at Yankee, said Turnbull.
A spokesman for the NRC said it had no comment on the CVA.
"This is
the state's review so it wouldn't appropriate for us to comment on
it," said Neil Sheehan. "What's more, the state is looking at
reliability while our license renewal review is focused on plant
safety and potential environmental impacts."
Last year, NRC staffers determined it would be safe for Vermont
Yankee to operate for an additional 20 years.
"Equipment reliability is an area Entergy has to improve on,"
said Sarah Hofmann, Director for Public Advocacy for Vermont's Department
of Public Service.
In a large part, she said, this was due to problems with the
plant's cooling towers.
"However, people should look at this index in the context of the
entire report," said Hofmann. "It was only one measurement out of many
recorded in the reliability assessment. Looking at the whole report
gives the reader a picture of the station in its entirety from which
to form a judgment."
Bob Audette can be reached at [email protected], or
802-254-2311, ext. 273.