New radiation monitors to be installed at Yankee

BRATTLEBORO, Oct 31, 2009 (Brattleboro Reformer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ETR | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Entergy and Vermont's Department of Public Service have come to an agreement on how to resolve Entergy's failure to monitor the dry casks that store nuclear waste at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. As part of the agreement Entergy will install a pair of new radiation monitors at the plant's site boundary.

It's now up to the Vermont Public Service Board to approve the agreement.

In April 2006, the PSB issued a certificate of public good allowing Entergy to store spent fuel in dry casks located just outside of Yankee's reactor building.

As part of the CPG, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Entergy, which owns and operates Yankee, and the DPS. One of the requirements of the MOU was that Entergy continuously monitor the temperature and conduct a monthly radiation surveillance of each cask. Entergy was also required to establish a protocol for reporting the results of both procedures to the DPS and the Vermont Department of Health.

But in July of this year, Entergy notified the PSB that it had not initiated the required monitoring and had not developed the necessary reporting protocol until June.

"Obviously we missed that part of the MOU," said Larry Smith, Yankee's director of communications. "We acknowledged that and worked with the state to rectify that section which we had not complied with."

The new radiation monitors that Entergy agreed to install are called high

pressure ionization chambers and will supplement the thermoluminescent dosimeters the state currently uses to measure radiation four times a year at the plant's site boundary.

The HPICs will be installed on new site boundary fences that the PSB is considering. If the new boundary is approved, one of the HPICs will be located across the street from the Vernon Elementary School.

"HPICs are 'state of the art' gamma radiation measurement instruments," said Bill Irwin, the radiological health chief for the Vermont Department of Health. "They can measure the exposure rates of most radiation energies with excellent precision and accuracy. They are especially good for very low levels of gamma radiation, at near background levels."

The state's nuclear engineer encouraged the PSB to approve the agreement, especially because of the HPICs.

"Then we will have very accurate radiation and constant measurements at this location rather than just the quarterly measurements from the TLDs," wrote Uldis Vanags, the state's nuclear engineer, in an e-mail to a local anti-nuclear activist.

In August, the PSB initiated an investigation into how the failure occurred and if Entergy would be fined for its failure.

Vanags wrote that Entergy was not fined because it was "not in the best interest of the public."

A spokesman for the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution, which was named as a party in the docket, said that a monetary penalty would not have changed anything at the plant.

"It was far better to advocate for real-time direct monitoring and reporting of radiation and temperature of each cask to state agencies and to NEC," said Clay Turnbull. "The HPICs are a nice addition to the fence line."

Nevertheless, said Turnbull, Entergy's failure to comply with the MOU was another in "a series of mishaps" that have eroded public assurance in Entergy's management of the plant.

"This is a perfect example of a failure in supervisory-level management," said Turnbull.

Since June, Entergy has undertaken monthly radiation surveillances, developed a protocol with the DPS and DOH, and reported the results of temperature monitoring and radiation surveillance to DPS and DOH.

"This measurement protocol will help us ensure that any radiation dose from the site is even more closely and accurately monitored to ensure that the site meets all health department requirements," said Stephen Wark, spokesman for DPS.

Vanags wrote that since Entergy has been turning in its reports, all dry cask temperature and radiation readings have been normal.

Bob Audette can be reached at raudette@reformer.com, or at 802-254-2311, ext. 273.

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