Intervention arguments against Seabrook nuke plant license renewal denied

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SEABROOK — The most recently filed contentions by those seeking to intervene in the license renewal of Seabrook Station based on information attained from the accident at Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant have been denied.

A ruling filed Wednesday by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission states, "Because the proffered contention is premature and insufficiently focused on the license renewal application (LRA) for Seabrook Station, Unit 1 (Seabrook), we deny the motions."

The groups seeking to intervene in the license renewal process of Seabrook Station believe information gathered by the Near-Term Task Force, formed to study the accident at the Japanese nuclear plant, should be taken into consideration in Seabrook's Environmental Impact Report.

"Rather than addressing the underlying facts regarding the accident in Japan and their possible implications concerning the Seabrook LRA, the proffered contention concerns the recommendations of the Near-Term Task Force — which Interveners claim will require a 'massive' re-evaluation and revision of the NRC's fundamental regulatory scheme," states the ruling.

The Near-Term Task Force filed a report with the NRC on July 12. Since then, the commission decided to assume recommendations by the task force through its "normal regulatory processes."

"Our understanding of the details of the failure modes at the Fukushima-Daiichi site continues to evolve, and we continue to learn more about the extent of the damage at the site."

The decision continues, "That Interveners' proffered contention is not admissible does not mean that the issues raised by the Near-Term Task Force Report are unimportant. They have not yet ripened, however, to the point where they can appropriately be litigated in this adjudicatory proceeding concerning the Seabrook LRA."

Earlier this year, the discovery of deteriorating concrete at the power plant had prompted the NRC to delay a safety report connected with the plant's request for a 20-year license extension until late next year.

Cause for the delay is tied to the discovery that groundwater had deteriorated the concrete of an underground tunnel by more than 20 percent.

NRC representatives have said the issue has since been dealt with, the area is question is now dry and the structural integrity of the concrete continues to meet standards.

The power plant is currently offline and has been since Oct. 6. A faulty pump was cited as the cause for the shutdown. The pump created low water levels in the steam generator and plant workers continue attempting to rectify the problem.

The groups named as intervenors in the relicensing process are Earth Day Commitment/Friends of the Coast, Beyond Nuclear, Seacoast Anti-Pollution League, C-10 Research and Education Foundation, Pilgrim Watch, and New England Coalition.

The current license — held by NextEra Energy, which is the owner and operator of Seabrook Station — will expire March, 15, 2030. On May 25 the company contacted the NRC seeking an extension to 2050.

Seabrook Station is among the largest single-source power generators in New England providing enough electricity at any one time to power roughly 1.4 million homes and businesses.