Seabrook Station Completes Degradation Mandates, But Issue Not Resolved

NextEra Energy, the owners of Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, have completed the remaining six items on a corrective action plan addressing concrete degradation at the facility.

While all requirements within the May 2012 confirmation action letter are now complete, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Public Affairs Officer Neil Sheehan said oversight of the facility and ongoing research into the problem, caused by an alkali silica reaction, will continue as the plant continues its operation.

"Based on our reviews, we have found that an acceptable basis has been established to assure that the continued operability of Seabrook’s concrete structures will be maintained," said Sheehan.

The completion of the remaining six items comes not long after the NRC issued a notice about the fact that two of the plant's steam generator tubes have stress- and age-related cracking. The completion of the items also comes as another contention against the plant's controversial, preemptive 20-year license extension has been thrown out.

Sheehan said the contention claimed that NextEra hasn't done enough to reduce the impacts of a radioactive release during a severe accident, a contention which is based on a computer analysis of potential effects.

Support for the contention was found to be "weak," though, and was "dismissed" because "no genuine issue of material fact exists," according to a report about the ruling against the contention.

The case against the relicensing is still open, though, because a different contention, one involving spent nuclear fuel storage, "has not yet been resolved," said Sheehan. He estimated that "is not expected to occur until at least sometime" in 2014.  

A public meeting is in the works for October 2013 in the Seabrook area in order for the NRC to discuss the NextEra's future testing program and actions.

    

Other important things you should know today:

• Flatbread will donate proceeds tonight to the new North Hampton Public Library, which would be built in conjunction with the municipal complex project.
• The Hampton Beach Children's Festival continues today.
• In case you missed it, a local Paralympic gold medal-winning swimmer can't compete in a big competition because her impairment has been deemed not severe enough.
• Click here for information on today's free show on the Hampton Beach Seashell Stage.