Repost: Conn Yankee article

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

The text of this also seems to have been missing...  Hope this comes 
through OK..

 HARTFORD  - Northeast Utilities must complete key  
components of a safety analysis before it begins dismantling its
Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant, federal regulators said
Friday. 
  But citizens' watchdog groups are concerned that neither the  
utility nor the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are doing enough 
to safeguard the public against the hazards posed by the 
decommissioning of the 29-year-old plant. 
  ``They have to file a post-shutdown activities report, to  
spell out everything they plan to do,'' NRC spokesman Neil 
Sheehan said. 
  ``They have up to two years to do that, but they've  
indicated they'll do it by July or August of this year.'' 
  ``Then we will do a safety analysis and look at all their  
plans,'' he said. 
  A group of power companies headed by Northeast said last  
month they would permanently close the Connecticut Yankee 
station, one of the nation's oldest nuclear plants. 
  The 582-megawatt plant in Haddam Neck, Conn., had been shut  
down for repairs and refueling since July 22. 
  The station was operated and 49-percent owned by Northeast,  
with the balance owned by seven other New England utilities. 
  Northeast has said the dismantling will cost about $425  
million. 
  ``They have $200 million set aside (for dismantling),'' said  
Sheehan. ``So there's a question of how they'll pay for the 
rest, but that's not under our jurisdiction.'' 
  ``They've indicated they won't do any dismantling work at  
least until 1998. Nineteen ninety-seven will be devoted to 
decontamination work and planning.'' 
  While citizens' watchdog groups are relieved that the plant  
has been closed, they argue that dismantling opens up a new set 
of problems. 
  ``It's my strong position that Northeast Utilities and the  
NRC need to decide what is going to happen to the spent fuel 
before decommissioning commences,'' said Paul Blanch, a former 
supervisor of instrumentation and control engineering at 
Northeast, who left the company in 1993. 
  Blanch said the spent fuel posed a ``significant danger'' to  
the public and that it should be placed in dry-cask storage 
before decommissisoning begins. 
  ``The public needs to be able to have input into the act of  
decommissioning before it affects them,'' said Rosemary 
Bassilakis of the Citizens' Awareness Network. 
  The NRC, which revised its decommissioning rules in July of  
last year, will hold a public meeting meeting on the Connecticut
Yankee dismantling Jan. 15. 
  The stock of Northeast Utilities close up 12.5 cents at $14  
on the New York Stock Exchange. 

Sandy Perle
Director, Technical Operations
ICN Dosimetry Division
Office: (800) 548-5100 Ext. 2306 
Fax: (714) 668-3149

E-Mail: sandyfl@ix.netcom.com    

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