ZCAPZION STATION COMMUNITY ADVISORY PANEL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON MARCH 17, 2014

AT THE NEW TECH HIGH/ZION-BENTON HIGH SCHOOL

Present:Brent Paxton, Chairman

John Lewis, Secretary

Linda Sittig

Craig Mason

Doug Ower

Larry Booth

Audrey Liddle

Craig Dyke

Kent McKenzie

Joel Brumlik

Absent:JoAnn Osmond

Cynthia Johnson

Item 1: Call to Order

The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

Item 2: Approval of Minutes

The Chairman asked if there were any revisions to the minutes from the November, 2013 meeting. Doug Ower reported that the waste shipments going to Clive, under the Major Work Activities, should be changed to WCS. A motion was made by Ms. Sittig to accept the minutes of the November, 2013 meeting as revised. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ower and carried unanimously by the Panel.

Item 3: Chairman’s Remarks

The Chairman reported that Patrick Thurman is no longer with ZionSolutions and that Larry Booth has been assigned as Mr. Thurman’s replacement. Mr. Paxton also reported that Patrick Daly has transferred to a different position and Mr. John Sauger is now the General Manager of ZionSolutions. The Chairman requested cell phone etiquette during the meeting.

Item 4: ZionSolutions Presentations

Decommissioning Status Update

by John Sauger, General Manager

Mr. Saugeraddressed the following points:

Disbursements and Balances

ZionSolutions Nuclear Decommission Trust

Balance Roll Forward – Cash Basis

As of September 30, 2013

($ millions)
Beginning Balance / 801.4
Earnings – Net of taxes and fees / 79.6
Disbursements / (410.2)
Ending Balance / 470.8

Majority of Expenses incurred as follows:

  • Project Management
  • Procurement of casks and canisters for dry fuel storage
  • Planning and preparation for spent fuel storage
  • ISFSI pad design and construction
  • Waste disposal
  • Asbestos remediation
  • Unit 2 reactor internals segmentation
  • Plant maintenance and security
  • Unit 1 & 2 containment preparation and support
  • Unit 1 & 2 reactor vessel
  • Large components
  • Rail improvements
  • Unit 1 reactor internals segmentation
  • Establish temporary utilities

Project Update

  • In January, site staff was reduced by 38%, until 3 – 6 months of planned work has been developed.
  • 7 canisters are currently on the Pad, with the 8th canister moving to the Pad soon.
  • Moving the spent fuel to the Pad has involved some teething pains.
  • Spent Fuel Campaign is projected to be complete by the end of January, 2015. This includes 61 spent fuel canisters and 4 Greater Than Class C (GTCC) canisters.

The Panel had the following questions on Mr. Sauger’s presentation.

  • Ms. Sittig asked Mr. Sauger to confirm the number of casks currently residing on the Pad. Mr. Sauger stated that number as 7. She also asked Mr. Sauger to explain GTCC, which he defined as Greater Than Class C. Ms. Sittig asked for the time/schedule for completion of fuel moves. Mr. Sauger said this is projected to be the end of January, 2015.
  • Ms. Liddle asked if the money left in the Trust Fund will be enough to cover completion of the project. Mr. Sauger said we are short right now, but we will catch up and are looking to complete the project by the end of 2018.
  • Mr. Ower inquired about the problem shipping of B and C Waste. Mr. Sauger reported that was a licensing issue, which should be approved by the end of March. Once the approval is given, there are 4 shipments planned to go out in April.
  • Mr. Ower also inquired about the status of the Reactor Vessel Segmentation project. Mr. Sauger reported that Unit 2 will be complete in November/December of this year and Unit 1 will follow late next year.
  • Mr. Ower asked if moving fuel is the project’s greatest expense. Mr. Sauger said yes, but it is due to the staffing and the infrastructure it requires with the fuel remaining on site. Mr. Sauger went on to say there were issues over the winter with the Vertical Cask Transporter (VCT). The oil is rated for 5 degrees Fahrenheit and because the weather was much colder than that, the oil did not maintain the proper consistency. In addition, the brakes froze up and the project built a tent around the VCT to warm it up. The casks are produced by 3 different manufacturers -Utah, Japan and Pittsburgh- which equaled 3 different sets of problems. The spent fuel is in very good condition due to the time spent prior on repairing/reconstructing the fuel assemblies.
  • Mr. Paxton asked Mr. Sauger to elaborate on a comment he made earlier about disarray. Mr. Sauger said he was referring to the past plan on taking the project to cold, dark and dry, specifically the Auxiliary Building. Mr. Sauger explained the approach to “Lock Out/Tag Out” (LOTO) for electrical problems to prepare to take buildings to Cold, Dark and Dry to ensure that no one gets electrocuted. The new approach will use less men and more equipment, which will cost time, but will allow the project to optimize the schedule.

Public Comment and Questions

Mr. David Kraft of Nuclear Energy Information presented the panel a letter requesting the panel to continue with 4 or more public meetings per year as this is a critical year regarding the path of the project and the recent personnel changes within ZionSolutions and the NRC. Mr. Kraft also reminded the panel they should make sure they are acting in accordance with the charter.

Ms. Lewison requested Mr. Sauger to restate the financial information provided earlier, which Mr. Sauger readdressed. She also asked Mr. Sauger to elaborate on an earlier comment about spending millions of dollars on the spent fuel. Mr. Sauger deferred to Mr. Gary Bouchard, VP of Engineering and Operations at ZionSolutions for comment. Mr. Bouchard explained that the fuel assemblies, made by Westinghouse, contained an alloy which caused the top nozzles to crack. The fuel assemblies were modified prior to movement with a rod inserted from top to bottom, which allowed them to be safely lifted out of the fuel pool.

Ms. Lewison asked for an update on the working status of the robotic welder and asked if it will become intellectual property of EnergySolutions. Mr. Sauger reported it is working fine, although there were problems earlier. He added that it would most likely not be intellectual property because it is just the way you seal a cask.

Ms. Shineflug agreed with Mr. Kraft’s request to continue with 4 public meetings this year, adding that she felt there should be 6 meetings. She also asked about the Fuel movement schedule. Mr. Sauger reported that about 10% of the fuel assemblies have been placed into casks and taken to the Pad, which is right on schedule. This venture is now progressing 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

Ms. Lewisoninquired about site injuries and Mr. Sauger stated there has only been one this year, which was a slip on ice.

Item 6: Old Business

None

Item 7: New Business

There was discussion about the number of meetings to hold in 2014. The next meeting was scheduled for June 30th, with remaining meetings onSept. 29th and Dec. 8th.

Item 8: Adjournment

The Chairman entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion made by Mr. Booth and seconded by Ms. Sittig. The Motion was carried unanimously by the Panel. The meeting was adjourned at 6:34 pm.

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