Washington, DC. The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) today submitted three emergency petitions for rulemaking to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to address problems that may be caused to atomic power reactors and the electric power grid by the Y2K computer bug.
"The Y2K computer problem is greater than most people imagined even a year ago," said NIRS' executive director Michael Mariotte, "and it is becoming clear that not every nuclear utility will be Y2K compliant in time for the millennium. Further, the possibility of electrical grid instability and local and regional blackouts cannot be ruled out, and nuclear power reactors require large amounts of electricity for essential cooling even when closed. Moreover, few—if any—utilities have actually tested emergency plans to cope with potential Y2K difficulties. Our petitions address each of these issues."
The first NIRS petition would require the NRC to close by December 1, 1999 any reactor that cannot prove, through full testing, that it is Y2K compliant until it can prove such compliance. The second petition would require nuclear utilities to install additional backup power units to ensure a steady supply of electricity to reactors. The third petition would require each utility to engage in a full-scale emergency response exercise during 1999 in which plant personnel must attempt to address a Y2K-related problem.
The petitions were submitted under 10 CFR 2.802, a formal legal process that can lead to the establishment of binding regulations. NIRS requested that the petitions be treated in an expedited manner.
"The nuclear industry and the NRC say they are working diligently to resolve the Y2K problem," said Mariotte, "and we believe them. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the problem is so large that not every nuclear utility is likely to complete their work in time. The actions we are requesting today are prudent, modest steps—some would say too modest—to help ensure that the Y2K computer bug does not lead to catastrophe. The probabilities of severeY2K problems for some nuclear utilities fall well within the probabilities for which the NRC has promulgated other major safety rules."
"The NRC and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) consistently have said that they have not identified any Y2K safety-related issues at nuclear reactors," said Paul Gunter, Director of NIRS' Reactor Watchdog Project. "But a November 6, 1998 audit of Y2K issues at the Seabrook, New Hampshire reactor found 12 safety-related systems affected by the Y2K bug, another 13 systems that could cause a reactor trip, and more than 800 affected systems "significant to business.
"A key issue for all nuclear utilities, even those able to put their house in order, is stability of the electrical grid," said Gunter. "There are thousands of utilities and independent power generators in the U.S. and Canada and it is highly unlikely all will resolve their Y2K problems in time. Instability of the grid could lead to local and regional blackouts, and the NRC has identified [in NUREG-1150, the agency's basic safety document] station blackout as the single largest contributor to risk at many reactors."
Gunter explained that nuclear utilities typically use diesel-powered generators to provide necessary power to cool reactor cores in the event of a blackout. This cooling power is necessary for months even when reactors are shut down. But a NIRS investigation of the generators, attached as an appendix to the petition, found that they frequently don't work and are subject to multitudes of problems. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," said Gunter, "our investigation of these generators is continuing and we are finding they are even less reliable than we had believed."
High-level atomic waste fuel pools at every reactor site also must be cooled; otherwise, the water covering the fuel rods could boil off, and their lethal radioactive inventory released. "The NRC currently does not even require that these fuel pools have back-up power," noted NIRS radioactive waste specialist Mary Olson. "But any extended blackout would place these pools at severe risk. We are demanding that the NRC add backup power capability, and to classify these pools as safety-related and requiring cooling."
Mariotte noted that current rules only require nuclear utilities to conduct emergency plan exercises once every two years, meaning that half the nation's utilities will not even address the Y2K issue in their exercises unless the rule is changed. "Every utility must have hands-on experience in coping with these issues," Mariotte said. "The unpredictability of how systems may respond to Y2K bugs, questions of the reliability of off-site emergency responders, including telecommunications, fire, police and other officials, all beg for additional training and practice."
"We are not suggesting people head for the hills at the Millennium," said Mariotte. "But when I was a Boy Scout, the motto was 'Be Prepared' and right now we aren't prepared. The potential problems are real, and deserve the type of measured and appropriate response we are urging today. It clearly would be irresponsible and negligent to allow non-Y2K compliant reactors to operate, and we trust the NRC will agree with us on that. It is also simple prudence to require emergency plan exercises and additional back-up power sources. It is perhaps ironic that it may require renewable energy resources to rescue the nuclear power industry from its own shortcomings, but the future begins now."
Mariotte noted that some Y2K-related problems may surface even before January 1, 2000. A Swedish utility recently turned its computer clocks to January 1, 1999, and its reactor unexpectedly shut down. "It would have been a cold New Year's Eve in Sweden if that reactor hadn't been tested," said Mariotte. "Testing and ensuring Y2K compliance is the critical issue here, and too many utilities have left themselves too little time for proper testing, and fixing the new unexpected bugs testing reveals."
NIRS also announced that it is contacting funders in an effort to launch a Y2K awareness campaign through its existing Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States program. "On one hand, the relatively poor reactor designs in those countries have a silver lining: they are much less dependent on digital technology," said Mariotte. "On the other hand, very little work is being put into identifying and repairing both their potential direct nuclear problems and problems associated with their electrical grid. A massive public awareness campaign and development of effective contingency/emergency plans are desperately needed. One Chernobyl was too many."
"The Millennium should be a time of celebration and joy," concluded Mariotte, "not an occasion of fear or panic. The actions we are proposing today will go a long way toward providing assurance of our health and safety as we enter the excitement and promise of the 21st century.
Copies of the NIRS petitions and background materials are available from NIRS and on the NIRS website, www.nirs.org.