Is the NRC Paving the Way for Seabrook's License Extension?

It appears that another hurdle has been crossed in NextEra’s effort to keep Seabrook Station online for decades longer than it was designed for, with very little light shed on what is actually happening deep inside the plant’s concrete structures. 

You may have heard of this pesky little problem of degraded concrete at Seabrook nuclear power plant. You know, water infiltration, cracks, that kind of stuff. It's called alkali-silica reaction (ASR), or "concrete cancer." ASR is the reason Seabrook owner NextEra Energy had to request an amendment to its existing operating license, to prove that it has things under control.

But the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) also has to consider ASR and any other safety concerns when evaluating the plant's application to extend its operating license all the way to 2050.

Now, one would hope that the NRC wants to be able to assure the public beyond the shadow of a doubt that it has a complete handle on such a serious problem as degraded concrete in a nuclear power plant, before it grants such an extension. Seabrook is the first commercial reactor in the country known to have ASR, after all.

On August 13, the Northeast regional branch of the NRC issued a report after inspection of these concrete problems as part of Seabrook’s License Renewal Application (LRA) process. In summary, the report states that:

“The inspection results support the conclusion that there is reasonable assurance that the effects of aging due to ASR in the Seabrook systems, structures, and components will be managed through implementation of these programs as described in the application for a renewed license currently under review by the NRC Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.”

Does this mean a green light for Seabrook’s concrete “aging management program?” Not exactly. C-10 spoke with NRC project manager Justin Poole for some clarification on a couple of things.

To recap, there are two important license issues underway at Seabrook: the License Amendment Request (LAR), required because Seabrook’s original design didn’t account for how well ASR-plagued concrete would continue to hold up, and the License Renewal Application.

The renewal application was submitted way back in 2010—a full twenty years before its current 40-year license is set to expire. And oh by the way, this was right around the time the concrete degradation was discovered. Hmmm. The License Amendment Request came in 2016, after a period of testing and modeling, partly at a lab in Texas.

So aside from what the Region 1 Branch said about how NextEra is handling ASR, the folks down at NRC’s headquarters in Rockville, Md. also have to complete a Safety Evaluation Review regarding ASR —for both the  LAR (present license), and the LRA (extension request).  Are you still with me? Wow.

C-10 has challenged the underpinnings of NextEra’s License Amendment Request, believing that the testing and modeling completed to date is not adequate or representative of what’s actually happening on the New Hampshire salt marsh.

We want to know more, and we think the public deserves full assurance with strong scientific underpinning. The NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board agreed that our contentions have merit to be explored before the license amendment is granted, and that we have standing in this case.

As we await a public hearing slated for next spring, we are closely watching progress on the License Renewal Application as well. Poole said that while he can’t speak for the NRC, he doesn’t think that the renewal will be ruled on before things are complete with the License Amendment Request.

What’s next? Two ASR-related safety reviews are expected from NRC staff by the end of September, ahead of an October 31 meeting of the NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safety. Each a step in NextEra's request for amendment—and extension—of Seabrook’s operating license.

As always, C-10 will be watching, and listening, on your behalf.