Hearing will delay Pilgrim relicensing
A panel of nuclear experts has ruled that a full hearing should be held on whether the Pilgrim nuclear power plant needs monitoring wells to prevent leaks of radioactive water. That ruling, a victory for local nuclear critics, delays a decision on the plant's 20-year license extension until at least next summer.
The ruling by the Administrative Safety and Licensing Board, a panel of three administrative judges, backs the position of the regional advocacy group Pilgrim Watch. The group had argued that the plant must do more to monitor its buried pipes and tanks to prevent leaks of radioactive water, such as those found at some other nuclear plants.
Pilgrim's owner,
But the judges panel ruled that a hearing is required as part of the process that will determine whether Pilgrim can safely run until 2032 - 20 years beyond its current 2012 license allows.
The eventual decision on the license extension is expected to be positive; federal regulators have historically approved license extension requests. But before the ruling that requires a hearing on water leaks, approval of Pilgrim's license extension could have come as early as next month.
At issue is the Duxbury-based advocacy group's contention that radiation-contaminated water from buried pipes and tanks at the facility could end up in coastal waters unless a better system for checking on the possibility of underground leaks is put into place.
"We know that what goes into Cape Cod Bay can end up either on our dinner plates or on our beaches," said Mary Lampert of Pilgrim Watch. Lampert said the panel's decision to give the issue a full hearing "also provided an important message to the public - it may be worthwhile for ordinary folks to fight city hall."
"It's part of the process," Pilgrim spokesman Dave Tarantino said of the decision to hold a hearing. "It will delay relicensing somewhat."
Tarantino said Entergy had offered a compromise that included placing some monitoring wells to detect possible leaking of contaminated substances, but the offer was not accepted by Pilgrim Watch.
The group took advantage of the opportunity provided by the license extension review process to become an intervening party and seek full hearings on safety issues, challenging claims by Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff that concerns have been adequately addressed by Pilgrim.
A year ago, Pilgrim Watch sought hearings on six issues, questioning the plant's ability to manage the aging of its complex engineering systems and the impact of 20 more years of operation on its environment. The panel of nuclear experts, headed by Ann Young, agreed last year to consider Pilgrim Watch's arguments on two issues - radioactive water leaks and nuclear emergencies.
Last week's ruling by the administrative judge that a full hearing is required on the radioactive water leak issue was highly unusual. Only once before has the NRC been forced to hold a full hearing in the course of considering a nuclear plant's license renewal.
Entergy has compiled a detailed defense of the safety of the plant's underground pipes and tanks, arguing that leaks were unlikely. Most of the buried pipes and tanks do not contain radioactive liquid, the company said. Those few that do already meet NRC safety standards and Pilgrim has devised programs to check on their condition, Entergy said.
The NRC staff's relicensing review gave Pilgrim's management programs high grades. Pilgrim's operators have also stated that most of the plant's parts have been replaced over the years, and safety systems improved and carefully monitored by the NRC.
The full hearing ordered by the judges will include lawyers and expert witnesses, according to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. A hearing date has not been set, he said.
In its ruling, the panel said "a genuine dispute" exists on whether Pilgrim's plan to monitor its underground pipes and tanks is adequate. The decision cited testimony by David Ahlfeld, a University of Massachusetts professor of civil and environmental engineering, who stated that radioactive contaminants could leak from Pilgrim's condensate storage system and other piping.
Noting that leaks do occur, Ahlfeld concluded that Entergy has not demonstrated it has adequate means to detect leaks.
Pilgrim said it would inspect buried pipes when opportunities, such as digging for other purposes, arose. It also said it would begin a program of ultrasonic testing of the pipes' condition.
Lambert said Pilgrim's system is inadequate because it does not provide for monitoring wells.
Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox@gmail.com.
