Group Says TVA Misled NRC On Watts Bar Plant Programs

Group Says TVA Misled NRC
On Watts Bar Plant Programs

By VICTOR MILLER
News-Free Press Staff Writer

A group opposed to the startup
of TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant
today accused the federal agency
of misleading the Nuclear Regula-
tory Commission about the plant's
quality programs.

Tennessee Valley Authority
spokeswoman Barbara Martocci
said the issues brought forward by
the Knoxville, Tenn.-based Foun-
dation for Global Sustainability
based on a study by Nuclear Utili-
ty Services (NUS) were discussed
with the NRC in an open meeting,
and "we don't feel there was any
misinterpretation of what the
study (of quality programs) found
between the NRC and TVA."

During an afternoon press con-
ference here Global Sustainability
said the study by NUS, a nuclear
consulting firm, "strongly criti-
cized management of Watts Bar
for inadequate and ineffective
quality assurance and control pro-
grams, but TVA covered up the
most serious finding in its own re-
port to the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission."

According to Global Sustainabil-
ity, the findings of the consulting
report undermine TVA's plan to
load fuel at Watts Bar in April
1994.

The report by NUS said, "Watts
Bar Nuclear is not achieving a
level of quality that will support
timely completion of the plant."

At other points the report com-
mented:
• "Quality Assurance is not
serving the oversight role effec-
tively."
• "Effective sensitivity to poten-
tial quality issues was not always
evident."
• "A reluctance to identify and
document quality issues seems to
permeate the organization."

But Ms. Martocci said the NUS
report, requested by TVA's senior
management, also stated, "The
programs providing assurance of
quality at Watts Bar have not
failed but can be improved to pro-
vide a higher level of assurance
consistent with obtaining timely
completion of the plant."

She said the information relied
on by Global Sustainability "has
been taken out of context of the re-
port. Watts Bar continually strives
for high quality. The report states
that our quality has not failed, but
what we are trying to do, as anyone
in business does, is continually
strive to improve, and we are con-
tinually striving to improve quality
at the site.

"This review was done to show
us where improvements could be
made to enhance our already ex-
isting high standards of quality."

Global Sustainability's project
director, Danielle Droitsch, said,
"The truth is that Watts Bar has a
long history of serious flaws in its
inadequate quality control and
quality assurance program.

"Our research has found repeat-
ed instances of similar findings,
yet TVA never solves the prob-
lems."

Global Sustainability President
Dr. Stephen Smith said, "The doc-
uments prove that there is no pos-
sible way to bring Watts Bar on-
line in nine months and still pro-
tect public health and safety.

"If you don't have a working
quality control program, then you
do not have adequate confidence
that the nuclear plant's compo-
nents, structures and systems will
perform safely."

Ann Harris, a TVA whistle-
blower still employed by the agen-
cy, said, "This report backs up the
charges brought by myself and oth-
ers regarding quality at Watts Bar.

"Workers have known all along
about these dangers, but neither
the NRC nor TVA has been active
in the public's interest."

Construction at the plant, locat-
ed on the Tennessee River about
seven miles southeast of Spring
City, Tenn., began in 1973. The
plant has yet to be licensed by the
NRC.

According to TVA, most of the
construction was essentially com-
plete by 1985 when a "large num-
ber of employee concerns about
safety" resulted in the halting of
construction.

Construction work was again
halted in December 1990 because
the "expected level of quality was
not being met in work activities."

Work resumed in November
1991 and in May 1992 the NRC
gave the site approval to resume
full construction activities.