Senator Baddour Requests Federal Hold on Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant Relicensing
UPDATE - JANUARY 10, 2012 - Senator Steve Baddour sent a letter to Greg Jaczko, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), asking him to halt re-licensing for the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant until a long-term solution has been implemented regarding concrete degradation and integrity at the site.
According to an NRC report, the Seabrook Plant has experienced concrete degradation due to years of groundwater infiltration. This probelm has caused a substantial decrease in the strength and integrity of the concrete at the site's foundation. This is especially problematic as the damage was found during a below-grade inspection to the accessible portion of the foundation, including electrical control tunnel B - a safety structure with vital electric cables that support the cooling system should a meltdown occur. Further, NRC conceded that it did not know the scope or severity of the degradation throughout the plant's entire foundation.
"In my former role as Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation, I frequently heard from experts about the need for concrete to be in-tact in order to provide the structural integrity claimed by construction engineers. If there is any question as to the durability of the concrete foundation at the Seabrook Nuclear Plant, the NRC must take swift and decisive action to ensure that its operators have an independent inspection and remediation plan completed before relicensing occurs," said Senator Baddour. "It is not enough to talk about fixes, steps must be taken immediately to ensure public safety over the long-term."
Senator Baddour first learned of the problem regarding concrete degradation at the Seabrook Plant after meeting with Newburyport constituent Bruce Skud. Mr. Skud has been a long-time advocate for nuclear safety in the region.
The letter was sent last month. Senator Baddour looks forward to receiving a response from the NRC in the near future.
For further information, please click on the following:
- Senator Baddour's Letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- Newburyport Daily News Article about the degradation.
- NRC Report on Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant concrete degradation.
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April 6, 2011 - A Nuclear Safety Oversight Hearing made up of a combination of several Joint Committees (Telecommunication, Utilities, and Energy; Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Public Safety and Homeland Security; and Public Health) held an oversight hearing today to hear from the Attorney General, the Patrick Administration, ISO New England, Entergy Corporation (Pilgrim Station and Vermont-Yankee Station), NextEra Energy (Seabrook), and Yankee Atomic Electric Company (Yankee Rowe) on the safety of nuclear energy facilities in and around Massachusetts.
At the request of Senator Baddour and Representative Costello, the C-10 Research and Education Foundation was invited to testify on a Citizens Panel. Sandra Gavutis, Executive Director of C-10, joined Mary Lampert of Pilgrim Watch and Randy Kehler of Safe and Green Campaign.
Prior to the hearing, Senator Baddour also met with Methuen native John Giarrusso, Jr., Planning and Preparedness Division Manager for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
For more information, please click on the following:
- Sen. Baddour and Rep. Costello's Submitted Testimony
- C-10 Website
- John Giarusso's profile in MethuenLife
