First Energy Solutions says it’s going to shut down its nuclear power plants. And that means decommissioning them. It’s a lengthy, complex process with public-safety ramifications that by law must be done under the oversight of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Billy Dickson is the NRC’s regional Chief of Projects.
Effects of Shutdown decision
He was at the central library in Perry, Ohio last week for a regularly-scheduled annual NRC public report on the safety and operating performance of nearby Perry Nuclear Power Plant. After the meeting, Dickson spoke about how the decommissioning will be handled and whether oversight at the plant will be adjusted now that First Energy Solutions has filed for bankruptcy.
Enhanced inspection
Dickson says the NRC has its standard procedures for overseeing nuclear power facilities and those won’t change.
But he says having been advised by First Energy Solutions of its intention to close its nuclear plants “…we have developed an inspection plan that’s going to look at any operations that could be affected by any kind of money woes.” He says the NRC is also ramping up what he calls its “looks” at areas like whether or not the operator is maintaining adequate staffing, and “making sure that the corrective actions program (operators use it to report operating problems) remains healthy.”
Decommissioning takes time
It can take up “up to sixty years” according to Dickson. Although, he says for purposes of creating a comprehensive decommissioning plan, the operator is usually given two years from the time it announces its intention to shut down.
Public input
That plan has to be reviewed by the public. And, Dickson says, any subsequent modification of it are subject to public review as well.
Decontamination
That’s the ultimate goal of decommissioning says Dickson. The strongest radiation comes from the nuclear plants fuel rods so those are the first to go. They’re put into secure casks for long-term storage. Then the rest of the site, including any contaminated soil, must be remediated so that there is no greater radioactivity level exposure than 25-Millirems per year—about five per cent of what the average American is exposed to annually from all sources.
NRC oversight continues for as long as necessary
“The NRC does not just go away” says Dickson. “Even through the decommissioning process itself, we still have inspectors making sure the public is safe.”
