NRC STAFF TO MEET WITH SUMMER PLANT OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS PIPE REPAIR PRIOR TO PLANT RESTART

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company will meet at the Summer nuclear plant near Jenkinsville, South Carolina, on January 18 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss the repair of a flawed reactor cooling water pipe weld and tests on similar welds, pipes and nozzles prior to the plant's restart. The meeting had been originally scheduled for January 4, but unanticipated delays in the repair led to a change in the schedule.

The NRC and SCE&G officials will discuss the completion of the repair, NRC special inspection team activities, and the company's preparations to restart the plant. The meeting is open to observation by the public, and NRC officials will be available at its conclusion to answer any questions from interested observers.

After the plant shut down for a scheduled refueling outage in early October, employees noticed traces of boron, a neutron absorber used to moderate the plant's nuclear chain reaction, beneath a large pipe inside the containment building. This indicated leaking or "weeping" of reactor cooling water containing the boron from the area of the pipe. Subsequent tests indicated a crack in a weld and that section of the pipe was removed for further tests. The repairs have involved replacing that section of pipe and welding the new piece in place.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007