The Containment Buildings are the small cylinder type buildings slightly left of center. The cooling towers are the large concrete structures slightly right of center in the picture.
>
The TVA has plans to finish 1 reactor at Bellefonte, or do they? There has been no approval from the TVA Board to complete the project. However the TVA in its infinite lack of wisdom and bureaucratic inefficiency is spending millions of dollars at the facility. The TVA has not made any decision they will complete or build any reactor at Bellefonte, they talk much about it and spend millions of dollars of rate payer money in the process. >
The TVA is in deep debt as a result of its ventures into nuclear power construction. The 2009 TVA Financial Report may be viewed at this link. http://www.tva.gov/finance/reports/index.htm
>
The TVA cancelled its Construction Permit on April 6, 2006, stripped Units 1 and 2. Two years later, after stripping the Bellefonte Nuclear Plants, the TVA reapplied for the construction permit to the NRC, Nuclear Regulatory Commission. TVA Senior Vice President Ashok S. Bhatnagar comments, "after parts removal...the units are probably only about half complete since some of the original equipment would now have to be replaced or upgraded to meet today’s standards. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/29/alabama-salvaging-bellefonte/
>
The NRC, in support of the Nuclear Construction industry, granted a construction license even though there was not one vote of approval from the NRC Commissioners. The Commissioners voted, 3 votes jointly approved-disapproved and 1 vote disapproved. This vote has resulted in a Federal Court Case in the District of Columbia Federal Circuit Court. http://www.bredl.org/press/2009/Bellefonte_highercourt.htm The NRC Commissioners called the vote, "unprecedented."
>
NRC link regarding their voting record on Bellefonte's Construction License Reinstatement from a no construction license status. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/commission/comm-secy/2008/ Scroll down the list to "COMSECY-08-0041," this is the NRC voting record in regards to the reinstatement of Bellefonte's construction permit. Included in the voting record is the Commissioners reasons for their actions Please note the dissenting comments of Commissioner Jackzo. "[At Bellefonte] the certification and pedigree of any QA system have been lost. Although records may remain, the NRC can no longer be assured of the quality of the equipment since the QA program was halted. The potential that undocumented work activities, introduction of unapproved chemicals, corrosion and other unknown degradation may have occurred calls into question the integrity and reliability of safety related structures, systems and components." (A structural failure of the Containment Building for Unit 1 has occured, event description below.)
>
It is significant to note that not one NRC Commissioner, who voted in the unprecedented approve-disapprove combined vote, mentioned in their decision of the "so called approval" about the TVA stripping the plant of parts crucial to the reactors design and operation. The NRC subsequently issued a press release failing to mention any fact that the TVA had stripped Bellefonte Units 1 & 2. The NRC in their Press Release linked below intentionally misleads the public concerning the status of the Bellefonte Facility. The NRC states in part in the Press Release: " The agency granted construction permits for Bellefonte’s two pressurized water reactors in 1974. By 1988, when TVA deferred completion of the plant, Unit 1 was approximately 88 percent complete, and Unit 2 was approximately 58 percent complete." The press release does not state the full facts, the Bellefonte Reactors are less than 50% complete, there is no mention of the stripping of the reactor facilities and crucial equipment, the public is lead to believe a false picture of Bellefonte. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2009/09-035.html I believe this is an intentional misrepresentation perpetrated on the public in support of the nuclear construction industry and not in support of public health and safety of the public as required, Atomic Energy Act (NUREG-0980), 42 USC 2013, Sec 3, d.
>>
>>BELLEFONTE'S UNIT 1 CONTAINMENT BUILDING STRUCTURE FAILURE<<
On December 10, 2009 this report was submitted to the NRC in regards to the structural failure of part of the containment building housing Bellefonte's Unit 1 Reactor. (update, Chattanooga Times Free Press} http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/jan/06/bellefonte-reactor-cable-break-holds-work/ http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2009/20091211en.html
>
Event Number: 45559: CONTAINMENT VERTICAL TENDON FAILED "Inspection of failed Unit 1 Reactor Building Containment Vertical Tendon V9 coupling indicates a potential for an unknown common mode failure mechanism for BLN (BLN-TVA's abbreviation for Bellefonte) Containment vertical tendon rock anchor couplings.
>
Unit 1 Reactor Building Containment Vertical Tendon V9 experienced a failure of the rock anchor/tendon anchor coupling on August 17, 2009 at approximately 1400 CDT. The time of failure was identified based on a loud noise bang reported by several individuals. Initial investigation failed to reveal the source of the noise.
>
The failed tendon was discovered on August 24, 2009 during a tour of U1 Tendon Gallery, elevation 607. Unsafe conditions previously precluded an inspection of the failed coupling for proper installation or component specific damage. The failed tendon coupling was inspected on 11/23/2009 and showed no signs of component specific damage or improper installation creating the potential for an unknown common mode failure.
>
"Safety significance: Until the mechanism of failure is identified the extent of condition will not be known. If multiple containment tendons are found to be losing the capability to carry tendon design force and this condition was left uncorrected, this could jeopardize the ability of the containment structure to perform its design function.
>
"Causes of deficiency: The cause of this deficiency is unknown at this time. Further analysis is in progress and when completed, an update to this report will be provided.
>
"Interim progress: Grease from the lower anchor head can has been analyzed for moisture content. Results were within vendor specifications. Additional samples have been sent for further analysis as described in Regulatory Guide 1.25 'In-service Inspection of Ungrouted Tendon in Prestressed Concrete Containments.'
>
"After successful safe securing of the tendon load, the failed coupling was visually inspected. The visual inspection of the failed coupling did not indicate a component-specific failure mechanism or indication of visually apparent common mode failure mechanism. Based on this inspection visual inspection of additional tendon coupling tendon couplers is not warranted at this time. The coupling has been removed from both the tendon anchorhead and the rock anchor tendon anchorhead and sent to the TVA Central Lab for metallurgical analysis.
>
"Records are being reviewed to identify previous non-conformance reports and certificates of compliances for the coupler. An extent of condition and extent of cause investigation will apply to vertical tendons similar in design, these tendons do not utilize an anchor head coupler in the design. However, these tendons will be considered in the analysis.
>
"Future updates: TVA plans to provide an update to this report by March 31, 2010 following the completion of the metallurgical analysis."
>>
Important Questions: Why is the TVA not inspecting all Tendon Couplers and tendons? Why did the TVA not report this failure immediately, why did they wait nearly 4 months before reporting this structural failure to the NRC? Answer to last question: To avoid reporting of this serious structural failure in the Annual Financial Filing Statement, SEC Form 10K.
> The NRC had tentatively scheduled a hearing this Friday concerning Bellefonte's Construction Permit but appears to be cancelled as the NRC's current meetings schedule does not list the Bellefonte Meeting. http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/public-meetings/index.cfm
SUNSHINE FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETINGS: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
DATE: Week of January 4, 2010
PLACE: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland
STATUS: Public and Closed
ADDITIONAL ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED:
Week of January 4, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
12:15 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative)
c. South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. and South Carolina Public Service Authority (also Referred to as Santee Cooper) (Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Units 2 & 3), LBP-09-2 (Ruling on Standing and Contention Admissibility) (Tentative)
d. Progress Energy Florida, Inc. (Combined License Application for Levy County Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2), LBP-09-10 (Tentative)
e. Detroit Edison Co. (Fermi Power Plant Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation), LBP-09-20 (Aug. 21, 2009), Docket No. 72-72-EA. (Tentative)
f. Southern Nuclear Operating Co. (Early Site Permit for Vogtle ESP Site), Docket No. 52-011-ESP, Petition for Review of LBP-09-7 (Tentative)
g. Tennessee Valley Authority (Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2) (Statutory Authority to Reinstate Construction Permits). (Tentative)
>>>
Bellefonte is a continuing saga of government bureaucracy, non-accountability and a waste of taxpayer and ratepayer funds. Nuclear power is not safe, it is not clean and it is certainly not cheap.
>
Although TVA will not release any actual cost of the project, citing "Commercial Privilege" as a reason not to honor Freedom of Information Act requests for cost disclosures it is estimated that completion of Bellefonte's Unit 1 Nuclear Reactor will cost between $4 Billion and $6 Billion dollars. A cost which could build 5-6 880 mega watt combined cycle natural gas plants generating more electricity at less construction cost. http://www.tva.gov/news/releases/julsep09/ne_tenn_cc.htm http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/04/tva-build-gas-plant-east-tennessee/
>
Energy efficiency projects and upgrading of TVA's hydroelectric generation equipment and all power generation and distribution equipment will provide the necessary power generation for the citizens of the TVA area into the 21st century. There is no reason to build any new nuclear plants. Nuclear plant construction drains available funds from the TVA for the upgrade of its antiquated power generation and distribution equipment. Nuclear plant construction also drains money from energy efficiency and sustainable energy projects.
1 comment:
Prestress Rock Anchors
Very informative blog, Hope this helps many!
Post a Comment