The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Report: NRC shouldn't have let Davis-Besse run with reactor leaks

OAK HARBOR, Ohio The Nuclear Regulatory Commission miscalculated the risk to the public of letting the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant continue to run with suspected reactor leaks, according to a report obtained by The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
The General Accounting Office report that was to be released Tuesday also says the commission's refusal to fix the oversight flaws that caused the NRC to miss a rust hole in the plant's nuclear reactor means there may be major incidents at other plants.

Davis-Besse, located along Lake Erie about 30 miles east of Toledo, started producing electricity again in March after it was shut down for more than two years. It was closed for routine maintenance in February 2002, and inspectors a month later found corrosion on the reactor vessel, where leaking boric acid had eaten almost through a 6-inch-thick steel cap.

The damage led to a review of 68 similar plants nationwide.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio sought the review of the Davis-Besse situation, along with U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and Rep. Steven LaTourette, both R-Ohio.

Kucinich tried to persuade the NRC to pull Davis-Besse's operating license last year and opposed restarting the plant in March. He said the latest report must make the commission, the nuclear industry and Congress realize that changes are necessary.

The GAO report says that the handling of Davis-Besse indicates problems with the way the NRC polices the nation's 103 nuclear plants.

"We do not yet have adequate...(Full Story)