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NRC allows Entergy fuel secrecy



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By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER - Published: November 25, 2009

BRATTLEBORO — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given Entergy Nuclear permission to keep a change in its technical specifications secret that deals with the nuclear fuel that will be loaded next spring into Vermont Yankee's core.

A subcontractor for Entergy, Global Nuclear Fuels, had requested the secrecy, saying it involved proprietary information.

Entergy Nuclear spokesman Larry Smith said Monday that the proprietary information belonged to Global Nuclear Fuels, and he said the request had met the criteria set out by the NRC. Entergy was notified Monday that the exemption was granted.

At issue are the thermal stresses that occur in the reactor core, which if above a certain standard, can damage fuel cladding. Damaged fuel leaks radiation.

Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said it wasn't unusual for such proprietary requests to be made.

But Sheehan said the company "must provide justification for the document being kept under wraps."

He gave an example of a new computer model devised by a contractor, who wants to keep it from competitors because it is unique and costly to develop.

"We would have to review that and determine if the justification was sufficient," he said in an e-mail.

The NRC allowed information to be withheld from public disclosure "if that discloses a process, method or apparatus, including supporting data and analyses, where prevention of its use by Global Nuclear Fuels competitors without license from Global Nuclear Fuels constitutes a competitive economic advantage over other companies."

Sheehan said Tuesday Vermont Yankee is planning to use a new fuel from GNF during the next refueling outage, which will result in a slight change in the safety limit minimum critical power ratio values.

He said the new fuel was used at Pilgrim and FitzPatrick nuclear reactors, also owned by Entergy Nuclear, during their last refueling outages.

Sheehan said the ratio standard will "ensure that specified acceptable fuel design limits are not exceeded during steady state operation and analyzed transients."

He noted that the integrity of the fuel cladding can be damaged from thermal stresses, which can occur when the reactor operates "significantly above" design standards.

susan.smallheer@rutlandherald.com








READER COMMENTS


Hmmm, secret fuel? What's next, a nuclear waste depository in an "undisclosed location?" I wonder if they are stuffing it with POX fuel, a reprocessed waste product that is enriched with plutonium, and is less stable in reaction than uranium fuel. VT Yankee is just the reactor to test this on,a small one, located in a sparsely populated area, with a big river to dump into if things go awry, with state and federal regulators who look the other way. Now that Entergy and VT Dept. of Health have weakened the state's radiation protection rules, let 'er rip. The Vermont brand is getting greener by the minute.
-- Posted by Sally Shaw on Sun, Dec 6, 2009, 3:28 am EST

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KSW, what environmental lobby are you employed by? Fess up you big faker..
-- Posted by That Guy's Really A Nut on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 1:50 pm EST

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According to the Vermont Yankee Reliability study available on the department of public service website, Vermont Yankee is now considered among the 25 worst nuclear plants in the United States according to the "Equipment Reliability Index." Over the years, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized numerous exemptions and license amendments which would have otherwise provided important data on safety design issues that could determine whether the plants will survive another twenty years past design specifications. In 2005, Vermont Yankee was exempted from the 10 year primary containment leak rate test which could tell us if the safety margin in the emergency core cooling system is still valid. Entergy has bedn cutting corners for years with the blessings of the NRC so they do not have the data to make informed decisions based on science. Now conveniently, it is all a secret.
-- Posted by ksw on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 12:32 pm EST

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"Would someone please explain to me what the last four paragraph/sentences mean?"

They mean that the author of the article was on deadline and didn't have time to do anything other than regurgitate whatever Neil Sheehan told her, without any further examination or explanation.

Oh, that's not what you meant?
-- Posted by Son Of That Guy on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 9:50 am EST

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Every Industry has a unique way of using words which folks not in that industry find unfathomable. For example find the nearest manual instructing you on the use and care of a home computer program. The ninnys marching up and down in front of a Nuke plant and decrying the operations standards, for the most part would be unable to figure out what happens inside a modern cookie factory bakery. Great example!!
-- Posted by None None on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 7:58 am EST

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would someone please explain to me what the last four paragraph/sentences mean?
-- Posted by you've got to be kidding me on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 7:43 am EST

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Keep it secret and trust us. That's the NRC's overall position on most things related to the nuclear industry. It should be noted that the NRC allowed for the VY plant to operate "significantly above" design standards and now would like to keep the new fuel being used from public scrutiny.
-- Posted by Robert Stannard on Wed, Nov 25, 2009, 5:32 am EST

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