More trouble, lay-offs, at Pilgrim Nuclear
Lay-off 8 technical workers, Union concerned for plant safety, needs more "oversight", closedowns may force further downgrade
NRC head to visit today. Aerial photo by Paul Rifkin.
ENTERGY MAKING LAYOFFS AT PILGRIM, NRC CHAIR TO VISIT FRIDAY
To reduce staff by 8 technical workers, Union concerned for plant safety
On the eve of a visit by a top nuclear regulator, the union that represents workers at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth reported Thursday that plant owner Entergy plans to lay off "several" workers there.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRD) Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane plans to visit the plant on Friday, and she will hold a media availability from noon to 12:30 p.m. Macfarlane visited Seabrook Station in New Hampshire on Thursday.
NRC: Plant needs more oversight
This follows the report that on Monday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced a performance rating drop for the Plymouth Nuclear power plant because of shutdowns with complications, placing it among 22 in the country requiring more oversight.
According to the Utility Workers Union of America Local 369, the Entergy plans to cut as many as eight technicians, technical specialists, and administrators, including experienced workers who write the procedures that govern protocols at Pilgrim. A company spokesman said there are plans to reduce seven union members, and the reduction will not impact safety at the plant. “The determination of positions that could be eliminated was based on careful consideration not to impact plant safety, security or reliability. Of the seven union positions identified for reduction, all are administrative in nature,” said Entergy Nuclear Communications Manager Jim Sinclair in a statement. He said the layoffs were part of a “comprehensive redesign” announced in July and the company is seeking to place the individuals in other roles.
“These layoffs are concerning and it’s unclear why Entergy feels it needs to cut staff at this time,” said UWUA Local 369 President Daniel Hurley in a statement. “It is ironic that days after Entergy Pilgrim Nuclear Power plant is placed on a dubious list of 15 underperforming nuclear sites in the country, the company has chosen profits over safety. Our first priority is the safety of our members and our communities, and no one knows how to operate this plant better than the men and women who have been working here for decades.”
Owner insists safety is maintained
Entergy also said operating at the “highest levels of safety and reliability” is its top priority. Union officials want more information from Entergy about the layoffs, which they say are expected as early as Dec. 13. Entergy in August announced plans to close its Vermont Yankee power plant. A company lobbyist said at the time that its plans in Vermont would have no impact on Pilgrim.
The NRC's letter on Wednesday to John Dent, Entergy's site vice president at Pilgrim, warned that the plant was headed for another downgrade based on the number of unplanned, forced shutdowns over therecent past.
NRC boss: Pilgrim headed for trouble
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane addresses the media Friday after touring Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth.Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip
PLYMOUTH — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's top official toured the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station on Friday and later told reporters the 41-year-old plant, plagued by mechanical problems, is headed for trouble with federal regulators unless it improves its performance.
When asked whether the NRC would ever close Pilgrim, Allison Macfarlane said the agency has the authority to shutter any plant for as long as it takes for the operation to turn around and run safely.
"We did that with Fort Calhoun in Nebraska, and it's been closed for two years," the commission chairman said. "Pilgrim is not in the worst shape yet, but it's headed that way, and we want to make sure they don't get there."
Macfarlane's visit was routine, but it came at the end of a tough week for Pilgrim.
On Monday, the NRC announced a performance rating drop for the Plymouth plant based on shutdowns with complications over the last several months. The downgrade placed Pilgrim among 22 reactors nationwide that will be more closely watched by federal regulators. Currently it leads the nation's 100 reactors in shutdowns this year.
Entergy Corp., Pilgrim's owner-operator, was informed by the NRC on Wednesday that the plant's standing is expected to fall even further at the close of the year's fourth quarter, based on its high number of unplanned shutdowns in general.
That further downgrade will place the Plymouth plant among the nation's eight worst performers.
Cape Cod Times video: NRC Chair Visits Pilgrim Nuclear
"Plant officials are aware of their situation, and we'll see if they can step up and address the issues," the Macfarlane said. "The proof will be in the pudding. If they continue to have problems, we will continue to increase oversight."
Macfarlane said the plant will be inspected more frequently based on its degraded status. Plant officials must also provide federal regulators with a plan for addressing the root cause of all its problems.
"They would also have to address equipment reliability problems," said William Dean, administrator for the NRC's Region I office in Pennsylvania. He accompanied Macfarlane on her tour.
Asked if the NRC gets involved with plant staffing, in light of eight layoffs announced this week, Macfarlane said the agency's only concern is that the plant remains adequately staffed to provide safety and security.
Following the session, Entergy spokesman James Sinclair expressed confidence that Pilgrim will show improvement.
"We're very comfortable," Sinclair said.
"We know where we are and have programs in place to turn things around."
Macfarlane also touched on storage of spent fuel rods, a subject of great concern to residents and officials in Plymouth and on the Cape.
Currently Pilgrim's spent fuel pool, located on the top of a building and containing more than 3,200 spent rods, is at capacity. Entergy has begun to construct casks to store some of the rods, but the number in the pools is not expected to drop below 3,000.
Based on an NRC task force report on lessons learned from the 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan, the agency is considering "expedited transfer of the rods from pools to casks," Macfarlane said.
While the NRC maintains pools are as safe as casks, other scientific experts have challenged that position.
Macfarlane also met with local and state officials Friday. State Sen. Daniel Wolf, D-Harwich, said the NRC's top official acknowledged their concerns about reliability and maintenance issues at the aging plant, storage of radioactive fuel rods and lack of proper evacuation plans.
"My hope is they look at safety and security issues and respond to the concerns that officials and the public are having," Wolf said.
David Agnew, a Harwich resident and co-founder of the Cape Downwinders, said Macfarlane listened, but he and members of other anti-nuclear citizens groups did most of the talking during their session with the commissioner.
"I think it was information gathering," Agnew said. "We feel it was useful. The chairman seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say."
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