Nuclear Watchdogs Want 'Autopsy' Of Oyster Creek After Closure

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ - Members of several nuclear watchdog groups are calling for an "autopsy" of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Station after it closes down in October and begins the decommissioning process.

The groups want the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to oversee a "strategic harvesting" of aged reactor items from irradiated steel and safety-related components and structures to use as samples for laboratory analysis or an "autopsy."

The groups included Maryland-based Beyond Nuclear, New Jersey Clean Water Action and GRAMMES, a New Jersey watchdog organization.

The "autopsy" is needed since Oyster Creek is the oldest nuclear plant in the United States. It has a

General Electric Mark 1 boiling water reactor, the world's first Fukushima-style nuclear reactor. There are still 21 nuclear plants in the United States with the same type of reactor.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to obtain real-world data on exactly what happens to metal components in nuclear reactors after being blasted with massive amounts of radiation just shy of 50 years," said Janet Tauro, board chairmen of New Jersey Clean Water Action, the state's' biggest environmental group. "What happens to those metal components is a life or death question for those living in neighborhoods near aging, rusting nukes."

Examining Oyster Creek is not just an option, it's a public safety requirement, said Paul Gunter, director of the reactor oversight project at Beyond Nuclear.

During the March 11, 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, reactor safety systems and structures failed to prevent three reactor meltdowns and massive releases of radioactivity, according to a release from the three groups.

"Oyster Creek can provide valuable information for nuclear reactors of similar design still running, such as Pennsylvania's Peach Bottom reactor, which is making application to extend its operating license to 80 years," Gunter said.

Ten nuclear plants in the United States have been decommissioned and 20 are in the decommissioning process.

"Sharing information will be integral to safety as the country moves forward with retiring nuclear plants," said Jeffrey Brown, a founding member of GRAMMES (Grandmothers, Mothers and More For Energy Safety. "Metal fatigue has routinely been cited when unplanned shutdowns have occurred. It's time we gathered hard facts and this is our chance to do it."

The NRC is hosting the final public meeting on Oyster Creek's safety assessment from 6 p.m. to 8 pm. tonight at the Holiday Inn at 152 Route 72 West in Manahawkin.

Oyster Creek went online in December 1969.

Photo: Patricia A. Miller