Nuclear Energy Information Service
Illinois' Nuclear Power Watchdog for 25 Years

Illinois Nukes Monitored due to Poor Performance

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: January 29, 1997
For more information: David A. Kraft, (708)869-7650

6 OF 12 EDISON REACTORS UNDER NRC SCRUTINY FOR POOR PERFORMANCE

EVANSTON-- Half of all Commonwealth Edison operating reactors and Illinois Power's Clinton reactor are under extra scrutiny by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) because of poor or deteriorating safety and operating conditions, according to a January 29th NRC information release.

The NRC announced that it will again keep ComEd's Dresden 2 & 3 reactors on its "close watch list" for another six months because of continued poor performance, extending Dresden's record-holding inclusion on the list to 5-1/2 consecutive years. Since Dresden was also on the watch list from June, 1987, to December, 1988, these reactors have been on the list for 7 of the 25 years they have been in operation.

NRC further added ComEd's Zion 1 & 2 and La Salle 1 & 2 reactors to the "close watch list," for an unprecedented six reactors simultaneously on NRC's list of the nation's worst and most worrisome reactors. In addition, NRC placed Illinois Power's Clinton 1 reactor on its "declining trend" list, indicating that safety and performance are deteriorating at this reactor as well.

"Edison has once again demonstrated that it is incapable of simultaneously operating safely and maintaining 12 reactors to even the NRC's questionable levels of safety and performance," concludes David A. Kraft, Director of the Evanston-based Nuclear Energy Information Service, and Illinois nuclear power watchdog organization.

"Continuing this kind of performance in the upcoming world of 'utility deregulation' - - where utility budgets will become tighter as utilities face increased competition -- is the perfect formula for nuclear catastrophe in Illinois," Kraft warns.

Edison's plants have been repeatedly cited since 1987 for the same problems over and over according to NRC's reports: poor management practices, no emphasis on preventive maintenance, lack of corporate resources and managerial ability to solve the problems in the long term. When improvements were occasionally made, they were not sustained.

"The NRC's letter to ComEd, its SALP and diagnostic reports, and now the inclusion of 6 of 12 of Edison's reactors on the NRC's poorest-performers lists, indicate that ComEd is incapable of learning from its mistakes, and is willing to put the public and the environment at risk rather than either commit the resources it takes to solve their reactor safety problems, or shut down the unsafe reactors," Kraft asserts.

Kraft was referring to the language found repeatedly over the last four years in many of NRC's letters to and meetings with ComEd's management, its Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) and Diagnostic Evaluation reports of ComEd's reactors at Dresden, Zion, La Salle and Quad Cities since 1987, and other NRC reporting forms.

"And as bad as ComEd reactors have performed, the NRC itself cannot escape criticism for permitting these reactors to get to such a level of degradation in the first place," Kraft charged.

"The NRC has resident inspectors on site at every reactor. How is it that NRC did not intervene in a more timely manner to keep plants from getting bad enough to qualify repeatedly for these 'watch lists'?" Kraft asked, referring to Dresden's repeat inclusion on the lists since 1987, and the subsequent addition over the years of the Zion, Quad Cities, and La Salle reactors.

NRC has given ComEd repeated stern warnings about consistently poor ongoing reactor performance, and met with ComEd top management on February 28, 1994, November 16, 1995, and May 13, 1996, each time warning of dire consequences if ComEd did not radically improve performance and sustain it at higher levels.

"But what has actually changed in ComEd's reactor performance over the last four years? What good have NRC's repeated warnings and meetings done? How does NRC's action of placing these reactors on its "close watch list" -- which still allows ComEd to run its troubled reactors -- actually and substantively change anything from before?

"In short, who is watching the watchers?" Kraft asks.

"NRC is also to be criticized for its deliberate dilution and homogenization of its public pronouncements on reactor safety," Kraft continued.

According to NEIS and other nuclear watchdog organizations, NRC has diluted the impact and meaning of its reactor safety 'report cards' -- the SALP report ratings, by collapsing the categories to be rated down from seven to four several years ago. In 1991 NRC reduced the number of categories to be individually rated from eleven to seven, and several years before that to eleven from fourteen.

"There is now an incredible amount of room in which to hide significantly serious safety problems without them showing up in the NRC's SALPs in a manner that would call public attention to the fact that a reactor had such serious performance problems," Kraft points out.

Further, a December, 1993 report from the Washington-based Critical Mass Energy Project demonstrated that NRC public pronouncements in its SALP reports differed significantly from, and were much less critical in tone and content of reactor safety problems than were private nuclear industry evaluations coming from the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), even on the exact same reactor safety issues. INPO reports are almost always kept from the public. This huge discrepancy between the two evaluations seriously calls into question the NRC's ability and willingness to be frank with the public about the deterioration of safety at nuclear power plants.

"NRC reactor safety ratings -- and by extension, its public pronouncements and scoldings of Edison -- have been turned into Velveeta, meaning nothing to the public, the utility or the NRC,' Kraft stated.

Over the years NEIS has tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to meet with Governor Edgar and his staff and other State agencies that have roles to play in nuclear safety to discuss these and other serious reactor safety concerns. NEIS has also repeatedly sent such information to several members of the Illinois delegation to Congress, with varying degrees of success and responsiveness.

"At this time we call on all those in positions of responsibility for protecting the public health and safety, the environment, and the economy of Illinois -- Governor Edgar, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Legislature, and the Illinois delegation to Congress -- to take decisive and unmistakable action to prevent a nuclear accident in Illinois. We call for the closure of the most unsafe and costly reactors, and for holding ComEd and Illinois Power to higher standards of safety and economic accountability for those left operating," Kraft concludes.

Nuclear Energy Information Service is a non-profit, environmental and energy education organization based in Evanston, Illinois. It was formed in 1981 to provide information to the public about nuclear power and radioactive waste hazards, and about viable energy alternatives to the continued use of nuclear power.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCMENT

For use prior to February 18th:

"With the bad publicity about ComEd's nuclear power plants lately, people have a right to be concerned about nuclear safety.

"If you'd like to get your questions about nuclear safety answered, attend the Community Forum on 'Nuclear Lemons: A Look at Illinois' Worst Nuclear Reactors,' Tuesday, February 18th, 7:00 p.m. at the Evanston Public Library, 1701 Orrington Street in Evanston. Admission is free.

"For more information, contact Nuclear Energy Information Service in Evanston at (847)869-7650."

-- 20 seconds --

For use February 19th through March 4th:

"With the bad publicity about ComEd's nuclear power plants lately, people have a right to be concerned about nuclear safety.

"If you'd like to get your questions about nuclear safety answered, attend the Community Forum on 'Nuclear Lemons: A Look at Illinois' Worst Nuclear Reactors,' Tuesday, March 4th, 7:30 p.m. at the Park Forest Public Library, 400 Lakewood Boulevard, in Park Forest. Admission is free.

"For more information, contact Nuclear Energy Information Service in Evanston at (847)869-7650."

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