Confirmatory Action Letter

On March 27, 2012, the NRC issued a Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL) to SCE, to confirm the actions the licensee committed to take prior to returning Units 2 and 3 to power operation. The CAL specifies that prior to restart of either unit, the licensee will identify the cause(s) of the excessive tube wear and take corrective actions to ensure that SG tube integrity can be maintained. The CAL also specifies that the licensee will provide in writing to NRC its protocol of inspections and/or operational limits for the planned operating interval and the basis for SCE's conclusion that there is reasonable assurance that the units will operate safely. Neither unit will resume power operations until the licensee responds to the items in the CAL, and the NRC has completed a thorough review of those actions and communicates in writing it is satisfied that the licensee can operate the plant without undue risk to public health and safety.

On October 3, 2012, SCE submitted its CAL response and return to service report for Unit 2. The NRC is evaluating the licensee's CAL response for Unit 2, and will fully assess the actions the licensee has taken to evaluate and correct the SG problems prior to making a restart determination for Unit 2. This assessment includes inspection of the adequacy of the actions the licensee has taken in response to the CAL, and an evaluation of whether the licensee's corrective actions to ensure that SG tube integrity is maintained, and protocol of inspections and/or operational limits for the planned operating interval, provide reasonable assurance that Unit 2 can be operated safely. Currently, the licensee has not completed the CAL actions for Unit 3, and has stated publicly that it will be "some time" before Unit 3 is ready for restart.