Orange County NC Website
--- <br /> ._ _ <br /> � \ <br /> �'�° � \ <br /> � z' 3" i' � <br /> 5 <br /> 1 <br /> 2 Commissioner Brown asked Mr. Scarola to explain what benefit it was to Orange County citizens to <br /> 3 have more storage at Shearon Harris. Scarola stated that risk is something that they look at on a day- <br /> � ' to-day basis. They are going to move the same number of fuel bundles on a given day now as is <br /> ,, proposed to be moved ten years from now. The only thing that will change is the storage capaciry. <br /> 6 The analysis that has been done on this plant has stated that it is "Beyond Design Basis." That <br /> 7 means that there is not a credible scenario that they have been able to develop that would lead to that <br /> 8 event. He stated that there is no increased risk. <br /> 9 . <br /> 10 Commissioner Carey mentioned that he has received several questions regarding what source of <br /> 11 money the County is using to pursue this endeavor. He clarified that the Commissioners are using <br /> 12 taxpayer money because the Board of County Commissioners is responsible for protecting the <br /> 13 public's interest. This is an effort to get information out to the pubiic so that the public can make <br /> 14 informed decisions. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 Commissioner Carey asked about the issue of unreviewed safety questions that Dr. Thompson raised <br /> 17 in his presentation. <br /> 18 , <br /> 19 Mr. Scarola first referred back to the comments about the N advertisement and stated that CP&L did <br /> 20 not run the N advertisements in question. With regard to the "unreviewed safety questions", Scarola <br /> 21 said that he had not seen that information before today. The license proposal that goes to the NRC <br /> 22 with the comment"Unreviewed Safety Questions" does not mean that it has not been analyzed. Each <br /> 23 issue is analyzed. Some of the scenarios that were presented were not analyzed because they have <br /> 24 not been deemed credible events in the industry and therefore are not required to be analyzed. <br /> 25 <br /> 26 Citizen Question: Why can the Robinson Plant not continue to store its spent fuel in its dry storage <br /> ''� facilities? Isn't it primarily an issue of cost in deciding to ship to Shearon Harris? Mr. Scarola stated <br /> ( that after the initial safety review, then economics is factored into their decisions. They are required to <br /> �9 provide cost efficient service. It is much more expensive to provide dry storage. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Citizen Question: What are the safety consequences of recent staff reductions at the Shearon Harris <br /> 32 plant? Which safety related positions were eliminated? Mr. Scarola stated that there have been no <br /> 33 staff reductions since he began at the facility in August 1998. Throughout the industry there is a drive <br /> 34 toward more efficient operations and computer systems have been implemented that have taken over <br /> 35 manual operations. <br /> 36 <br /> 37 Citizen Question: With reference to fire hazards there were several questions. One was with regard <br /> 38 to the minimum cooling time to avoid fire hazard in a partially drained fuel pool. Another question <br />� 39 asked if fire hazard was used as a basis for prior interventions and what had been the result. Finally, <br /> 40 there was a question about the pool building leaking radiation if there was an accident. <br /> 41 <br /> 42 Jim Scarola stated that the component cooling water capacity was sufficient for the initial racking <br /> 43 needed to put the "C" pool into service. CP&L has told the NRC that they have a limit that they would <br /> 44 not go over before reanalyzing and addressing additional component cooling water capability. With <br /> 45 regard to the implications of an off-site accident, he emphasized that the work that has been done is <br /> 46 far"Beyond Design Basis" events which means that they have not come up with a credible scenario <br /> 47 that could lead to an event causing an off-site accident. However, the C & D pools will have fuel that <br /> 48 has cooled down and the analysis shows that fuel that is greater than 17 months old does not pose an <br /> 49 off-site hazard by the possible drain-down of that pool. <br /> 50 <br /> � Dr. Thompson said that when the nuclear industry was established in this country, initially the <br /> _t spectrum of accidents was defined in such as way as to encompass all credible events. It was <br /> 53 subsequently realized that there were other possible accidents beyond the design basis. <br /> 54 Furthermore, the NRC requires all of its licensees to conduct an "integrated plant examination"which <br />