Federal meeting slated on cracks at Davis-Besse

Dec 6 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

A federal meeting about FirstEnergy's technical analysis of cracks in the concrete Shield Building at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant has been scheduled for Dec. 15.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting, during which limited public questions to the agency will be allowed, is scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. in the Camp Perry Clubhouse, 1000 Lawrence Rd., Building 600.

Top officials from the NRC, among them acting Regional Administrator Cynthia Pederson, and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, including Barry Allen, the site vice president at Davis-Besse, are slated to attend.

The federal commission Friday gave FirstEnergy permission to restart the plant, which had powered down Oct. 1 for replacement of its reactor head, while directing the utility to perform further study of the cracking concrete first discovered nine days later when a hole was cut through the Shield Building's wall for access into the reactor chamber.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., Cleveland), who had urged the NRC to keep the plant offline until full review of the cracking issue was complete, Monday issued a statement protesting the agency's decision to allow the restart.