Turning Up the Heat : NRC’s Citation of San Onofre Reflects Its Tougher Enforcement

N othing demonstrates the tough new stance the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has taken in overseeing the nation’s 108 nuclear plants better than the notice of violation it served recently on the San Onofre nuclear power station in northern San Diego County.

After an October inspection, NRC officials found that Southern California Edison had failed to establish formal maintenance rules and monitoring programs on 13 sets of equipment at San Onofre’s two reactors, which produce 2,200 megawatts of power. An NRC hearing on the violation was held last Friday, with a decision on whether to fine Edison by $50,000 or more due in a couple of weeks.

The San Onofre violations are particularly telling because the plant is generally recognized as one of the safest and most conscientiously operated nuclear stations in the country. The plant consistently receives top marks from NRC inspectors for operation, engineering, maintenance and plant support.

NRC spokesman Mark Hammond said Monday that the violation of new NRC rules adopted in July was extremely minor. Edison spokesman Ray Golden says it arose from a “documentation issue” that has since been resolved. “We were performing all the things the NRC wanted; we just weren’t writing them down according to the new forms,” Golden said.

Nevertheless, the NRC, since Chairwoman Shirley Ann Jackson began her tenure in June 1995, has been increasingly unforgiving in its inspections. Six years ago, Edison might simply have been given a waiver of enforcement, something the NRC handed out 90 times in 1990. Last year, only seven waivers were granted to plant operators.

The tougher enforcement and standards also reflect in part the fact that the nation’s nuclear plants are all aging and require greater vigilance. It’s been more than 20 years since construction began on a new nuclear plant in this country.

Half a dozen U.S. nuclear plants have been shut down for safety concerns since Jackson took office. Those six include Millstone Units 1, 2 and 3 and Connecticut Yankee, all operated by Northeast Utilities. Two plants in New Jersey operated by Public Service Electric & Gas were shut down in 1996.

NRC enforcement actions against nuclear plant operators in 1996 totaled 173, up 12% from the previous year. “There is a much less liberal interpretation of the rules under Chairwoman Jackson,” the NRC’s Hammond said.

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Waivers Dwindle

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s tougher stance is reflected in the sharp reduction in waives it has granted to nuclear plant operators since 1990.

Source: Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Chris Kraul can be reached by phone at (619) 544-6040 or by e-mail at chris.kraul@latimes.com

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