NRC SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO DISCUSS FINDINGS WITH SUMMER PLANT OFFICIALS

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Special Inspection Team will hold a brief exit meeting with South Carolina Electric & Gas Company at the Summer nuclear plant near Jenkinsville, South Carolina, on Thursday, February 15, at 11:00 a.m. The NRC team will discuss their inspection findings after reviewing a flawed reactor cooling water pipe weld at the plant, and the company's repairs to that weld.

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. The NRC team will also issue a written report, which will be available to the public, in several weeks.

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.

The four-person NRC team has observed the company's initial investigation, tests conducted on the original weld, repair activities and tests conducted to confirm the adequacy of the repairs.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007