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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 |
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Angela Greenman (630) 829-9662/e-mail: opa3@nrc.gov |
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT: RIII-96-25 June 14, 1996
CONTACT: Jan Strasma 708/829-9663
Angela Dauginas 708/829-9662
E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC STAFF PROPOSES $100,000 FINE AGAINST COMMONWEALTH EDISON
FOR VIOLATIONS INVOLVING STRUCTURAL STEEL DESIGN DEFICIENCIES
AT DRESDEN AND QUAD CITIES NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed
$100,000 in fines against Commonwealth Edison Company for design
deficiencies at its Dresden and Quad Cities Nuclear Power
Stations.
The two plants are similar in design, and each has two
reactors. Dresden is located near Morris, Illinois, and Quad
Cities is in Cordova, Illinois.
The utility was cited for failing to promptly correct design
deficiencies in structural steel beams and supports for
components in one of the plants' emergency core cooling systems.
A $50,000 fine was proposed for each facility for a total fine of
$100,000 to the utility.
In 1991 the utility's architect-engineer determined that
modifications to pipe supports and structural steel in the 1980's
had not been evaluated to determine their effect on seismic
design criteria. (Safety-related plant structures and systems
must be designed to function during and after an earthquake.)
The modifications resulted in additional loads on the steel
beams and supports which, in some cases, exceeded those permitted
in the original plant design.
These deficiencies were not corrected until February 1996 at
Quad Cities and until March 1996 for Dresden Unit 2. The Dresden
Unit 3 deficiencies will be corrected in the Fall 1996 refueling
outage.
"We are concerned that the engineering decision process
failed to ensure timely action to restore design margins," said
NRC Regional Administrator Hubert J. Miller in notifying the
utilities of the proposed fines. "Commonwealth Edison personnel
were aware of the design deficiency for over five years without
effective resolution."
The utility has until July 15 to pay the fine or to protest
it. If Commonwealth Edison protests the fine and it is
subsequently imposed by the NRC staff, the utility may request a
hearing.
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