No. III-10-026 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 June 23, 2010 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

 

NRC TAKES ACTION FOR DAVIS-BESSE SAFETY 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today sent a Confirmatory Action Letter to 

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC) committing the company to actions needed to 

assure the NRC that FENOC can safely restart the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. The plant 

is located in Oak Harbor, Ohio about 40 miles southeast of Toledo. 

The NRC’s confirmatory action letter is designed to address issues that contributed to the 

March 12 discovery of cracks and leakage in multiple Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) 

nozzles. The CRDM nozzles guide the control rods into the reactor core to shut down the reactor. 

The letter details and confirms FENOC’s agreement to take certain actions in response to the 

identified cracks. Issues associated with the cracks are being reviewed by the NRC and the 

agency’s special inspection team. 

The Davis-Besse commitments include:

• Shutting the plant down no later than October 1, 2011 and replacing the reactor head with 

a newly manufactured reactor head before returning to operation 

• Providing technical information regarding the time at which the next inspection of the 

existing reactor head would be required, based on reactor head temperatures, regardless of 

the 2011 planned shut down 

• Providing a sample of the CRDM nozzles to the NRC for independent crack analysis 

• Strengthening its leakage monitoring procedures 

“The Confirmatory Action Letter will allow the agency to have a clear set of commitments 

and expectations and ensures the utility understands the NRC must have confidence for them to 

continue to safely operate the plant,” said NRC Region III Regional Administrator Mark 

Satorius. “Replacing the reactor head is a substantial action which will provide increased 

assurances that the people and the environment remain safe. However, we will not hesitate to 

shut down or place additional restrictions on the plant if necessary.” 

 

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The NRC also determined that, based upon a review of the information to date, the current 

reactor head is suitable for operation at least through October 1, 2011. Specifically, the special 

inspection team determined the nozzle examinations conducted by the utility were 

comprehensive and satisfactorily identified which nozzles needed to be fixed and that the 

subsequent repairs met the strict regulatory requirements for placing the head back into service. 

The NRC’s independent evaluation of the crack growth rate also provided assurance of a low 

probability of leakage through the shut down date. The commitment to replace the reactor head in 

2011 also addresses NRC concerns regarding the uncertainties for new cracks and the rate at 

which new cracks could grow. Additionally, the NRC has reasonable assurance that, while highly 

unlikely, if cracks were to develop, the structural integrity of the reactor head would be 

maintained at least until the 2011 shut down. 

Although there is some additional analysis and information required from the utility, the 

NRC has been provided with reasonable assurances that there will be no undue risk to the health 

and safety of the public prior to the replacement of the reactor head. Therefore, the NRC’s focus 

will continue to remain on the corrective actions, root cause of the problems and continued safe 

operation of the plant. 

The March 12 discovery occurred while plant workers were conducting an NRC required 

inspection of the reactor head and found early indications of cracks in the CRDM nozzles. There 

was no danger to the public from these cracks. The plant was shut down in a refueling outage 

when the problem was identified. In total, the utility repaired 24 CRDM nozzles. The NRC is 

providing oversight on the issue and is independently assessing the utility’s actions. 

Though a date has not yet been set, the NRC will schedule a public meeting near the plant to 

present the results of the agency’s special inspection. 

Issuance of a confirmatory action letter does not preclude the NRC from taking other 

additional actions for any violations of NRC requirements that may be identified. 

A copy of the confirmatory action letter is available on the NRC Web site at 

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html using the number ML101740519 or from the 

Region III Office of Public Affairs. 

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