The scorched electrical panel, caused by the Sept. 25, 2011 accident of "substantial safety significance" at Palisades
Up to 200 people attended a Feb. 29, 2012 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) public meeting about a rash of serious accidents at the Palisades atomic reactor in southwest Michigan, on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Beyond Nuclear spread the word about the meeting, provided background, and attended by phone. Many concerned citizens, some brand new to the issues, moved by the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe, others veteran anti-nuclear activists who have watchdogged and actively resisted Palisades for decades, fired questions off from the microphone over the course of two hours. NRC had eaten up the first hour with a basic presentation and a long break.
Perhaps the most significant revelation provided by the NRC staff was admitting that Palisades has the single most embrittled reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in the U.S., making it vulnerable to pressurized thermal shock (PTS). Jennifer Uhle, PhD., from NRC's Office of Regulatory Research, admitted that "it's true that Palisades' vessel is the most embrittled vessel at an operating nuclear power plant" in the U.S. Uhle said that Palisades is nonetheless safe to operate till 2017, at which point it would have to prove to NRC its embrittlement is not a problem. But NRC has repeatedly weakened its embrittlement standards, to allow risky reactors like Palisades to keep running. Palisades first violated NRC embrittlement regulations in 1981, just 10 short years into operations. This latest 2017 NRC deadline seems to be the newest extension to what had previously been a 2014 deadline for Palisades' shut down due to embrittlement.
Environmental watchdogs have long been concerned PTS could fracture Palisades' RPV like a hot glass under cold water if the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) is ever turned on. Frighteningly, Palisades' ECCS did activate on Sept. 25, 2011, during an incident of "substantial significance to safety," in NRC's words. However, the High-Pressure Injection and Low-Pressure Injection did not actually inject cooling water into the RPV, due to the high pressure inside.
In June, 2011, the Associated Press published a four part series on aging atomic reactor risks in the U.S. PTS, and NRC's weakening of safety regulations to allow embrittled RPVs as at Palisades to continue operating, were at the top of AP's list. But Don't Waste Michigan had reported these concerns 18 years earlier. RPV embrittlement and PTS risks were the single biggest concern of an environmental coalition that opposed Palisades' 20 year license extension during a 2005 to 2007 battle, but NRC rubberstamped it anyway. Despite competitive claims to the contrary, Palisades very well may be the oldest operating commercial atomic reactor in the world. It received an operations license in 1967, but failed to fire up until 1971 because it was such a lemon, despite being brand new. Thus, 2012 marks Palisades' 45th year, even though it has "only" operated for 41 years.
Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear challenged NRC claims that Palisades was compliant with earthquake safety regulations, pointing out that its dry cask storage of high-level radioactive waste, just 100 yards from the waters of Lake Michigan, violates NRC earthquake safety regulations, according to retired NRC dry cask storage inspector Dr. Ross Landsman, who has been warning about it since 1994. Kevin also pointed to an NRC media release, which reveals that earthquake risks are under major review at NRC and in the nuclear power industry, including in the Great Lakes region, as at Palisades.
The St. Joe Herald-Palladium reported on this story. It quoted Maynard Kaufman of Bangor, who: "said the NRC should have anticipated more general nuclear safety questions from the public. 'Tonight's performance didn't reassure me in the least,' he said. 'I think this is a distraction to the underlying issues. This is an old plant. I think this is a terribly dangerous way to make electricity. We're not fooled by this little performance.' "
Holland, MI radio station WHTC also reported on the meeting. It quoted Kevin as calling for Palisades' shutdown, "period." However, it should be pointed out that Kevin was born and raised in Kalamazoo, and still represents his hometown chapter of Don't Waste MI, on the board of directors, so isn't exactly an "outside" agitator (in fact, he was around a couple years before Palisades fired up, so he was there first!). And Palisades experienced not a "couple," but rather five un-planned shutdowns, as well as additional incidents, in 2011 alone.
WSBT also reported on this story, quoting Starla Montoya from Grand Junction: “It's really becoming senseless that we have to worry about this in our community, and with no plan if something does happen because they're just telling us this is safe."
The Kalamazoo Gazette also reported on this story, quoting concerned citizens:
"Living between two nuclear power plants [Cook and Palisades], Bette Pierman has some concerns about Palisades nuclear power plant.
'I guess I'm looking for reassurances that they (the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) are holding this company accountable,' the Benton Harbor woman said Wednesday...
Some opponents of nuclear energy said they worry a nuclear disaster could happen at Palisades.
Michael Martin, a 69-year-old Gobles resident, said it comes down to nuclear plant technology being too dangerous. He contends that Palisades should be shut down.
'I don't think this is going to change anything,' Martin said of Wednesday's meeting. 'We've been having the meetings since day one — it's getting old.' "
ABC57 also reported on this story. However, it inaccurately downplayed an accident that even NRC has determined had "substantial significance to safety." ABC57 reported:
"...Another violation came when an employee did not follow procedure when working on an electrical panel. The employee caused a short to occur which set off a chain reaction that forced the entire plant to shut down.
Again, there was no immediate danger, and the complications the short created were easily handled."
Actually, the employee himself was nearly electrocuted. Half of the control room lost electricity. Nearly two dozen systems, many safety related, went instantly haywire. It took several hours for order to be restored, with a significant safety incident growing more likely as the clock ticked. Plant personnel worked with a growing sense of urgency to bring the plant under control. The pressurizer and a steam generator filled 97-98% full of liquid water, coming just 9 minutes from "going solid," which would have resulted in loss of control over pressure and temperature, and the potential for pipe breaks. NRC determined that a single error by plant workers would not have provided any recovery time. Given Palisades' degraded steam generators, corroded reactor vessel head, and the most embrittled reactor pressure vessel in the country, there were multiple pathways to a Loss of Coolant Accident in the reactor core, that could have then caused a meltdown and catastrophic radioactivity release. Top Entergy official at Palisades, Tony Vitale, said at a Jan. 11th NRC meeting that he would never let such a thing happen again, given the look on the face of the control room supervisor coming off the floor after the near-miss. Another top plant official said at the same Jan. 11th meeting that he could have gotten someone killed that day -- the electrician who was nearly electrocuted.
Michigan Public Radio reported the filing of a 10CFR2.206 emergency enforcement petition by Thomas Saporito, calling for NRC to "fine the company a million dollars, revoke its operating license, and shut down the plant until the safety is independently confirmed."