To the editor:
In May 2011, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC reported that several safety structures at the Seabrook nuclear power plant have experienced damage. Specifically, water seeping into concrete foundations has cracked and weakened a number of safety structures. The NRC does not seem to know the extent of the concrete degradation, but it appears that as more groundwater seeps in, more cracks occur. Furthermore, as far as we know, nothing has been done to stop the groundwater infiltration into concrete structures at the Seabrook plant.
For example, according to NRC's own report, inspectors found that concrete in what is called "control tunnel B" exhibits "severe" damage and is 22 percent weaker. Control tunnel B houses vital electrical cables that support the cooling system in the case of a nuclear meltdown. As the NRC has noted, this saturation process has gone on for years, which raises the question, how can the NRC place public safety at risk and allow this degradation to go without being fully addressed?
We are thankful that NRC inspectors reported on these structural weaknesses. But obviously, the NRC needs to conduct a full review of how it monitors the Seabrook nuclear power plant. Specifically, the NRC should review whether on-site inspections at the Seabrook plant even adhered to existing protocols, as well as if current NRC inspection protocols are adequate. The NRC's Office of Inspector General — the audit organization with the agency — would be well suited to conduct this study at the Seabrook plant because it had no hand in the inspections.
The simple truth is that unwittingly the wrong type of concrete was poured into the plant's foundation. But, the reason for the risk now posed by the plant is not merely technical — it is also due to the NRC's failure to monitor the plant adequately. It is time to stop the rush to relicense — 18 years before the current license expires. The Seabrook operators need years to fix the foundation; the NRC will need perhaps even more time to mend its broken inspectional processes.
Nick and Cynthia Costello
Amesbury
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