 |
NRC NEWS
U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION III
801 Warrenville Road, Lisle IL 60532 |
| CONTACT: |
Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663/e-mail: rjs2@nrc.gov |
|
Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov |
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-23 June 4, 1996
CONTACT: Jan Strasma 708/829-9663
Angela Dauginas 708/829-9662
E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO PRESENT ITS FINDINGS
ON GAS BURN IN SPENT FUEL CASK AT POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Augmented Inspection Team
will meet Friday (June 7) with Wisconsin Electric Power Company
officials to discuss the findings of its review of a hydrogen gas
burn in a spent fuel storage container May 28 at the Point Beach
Nuclear Power Station. The Station is near Two Rivers,
Wisconsin.
The meeting will be at 10 a.m. in the Two Creeks Town Hall,
located at State Highway 42 and Tapawingo Road north of Two
Rivers, Wisconsin.
The six-person inspection team is headed by Roy Caniano, a
Branch Chief from the NRC's Region III Office. Dr. Carl
Paperiello, Director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Material
Safety and Safeguards, and other NRC staff members will also
attend the meeting.
The hydrogen gas burn occurred as technicians were beginning
to weld a shield lid on the spent fuel storage container after it
was loaded with 24 fuel assemblies. There was no evidence of
damage to the storage container or to the fuel assemblies as a
result of the gas burn.
The spent fuel assemblies were subsequently placed back in
the spent fuel storage pool.
The investigation into the cause of the incident is
focussing on a zinc-based coating used on internal surfaces of
the container. The coating may have reacted chemically with the
acidic water from the spent fuel storage pool to produce
hydrogen.
The meeting between the NRC staff and Wisconsin Electric
officials will be open to public observation. At the close of
the meeting there will be an opportunity for questions and
comments from members of the public.
The team will issue a written report in several weeks.
# # # # #
|
