Information Notice No. 79-18 - Skylab Reentry

IN79018 

                               July 5, 1979 

MEMORANDUM FOR:     B. H. Grier, Director, Region I 
                    J. P. O'Reilly, Director, Region II 
                    J. G. Keppler, Director, Region III 
                    K. V. Seyfrit, Director, Region IV 
                    R. H. Engelken, Director, Region V 

FROM:               Norman C. Moseley, Director, ROI:IE 

SUBJECT:            Information Notice No. 79-18 - SKYLAB REENTRY 

The subject Information is transmitted for issuance on July 6, 1979. The 
Information Notice should be issued to all holders of Reactor Operating 
Licenses. Enclosed is a draft copy of the transmittal letter for this 
purpose 


                                        Norman C. Moseley, Director 
                                        Division of Reactor Operations 
                                          Inspection 
                                        Office of Inspection and Enforcement

Enclosure:
1.   IE Information Notice
       No. 79-13
2.   Draft Transmittal Letter

CONTACT:  G. Klinger, IE 
          49-28019 
.

(Draft letter to all holders of Reactor Operating Licenses)  IE Information 
Notice No. 79-18 

Addressee: 

This Information Notice is provided as an early notification of a possibly 
significant matter. It is expected that recipients will review the 
information for possible applicability to their facilities. No specific 
action or response is requested at this time. If you have questions 
regarding this matter, please contact the Director of the appropriate NRC 
Regional Office. 


                                        Signature 
                                        (Regional Director) 

Enclosure:
IE Information Notice
  No. 79-18
.

                              UNITED STATES 
                       NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 
                   OFFICE OF INSPECTION AND ENFORCEMENT 
                          WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 
                                     
                               July 6, 1979 

                                            Information Notice No. 79-18 

SKYLAB REENTRY 

Description of Circumstances: 

The most recent dates for reentry of Skylab are July 10 to 14, 1979, with 
July 12, as the most probable date. Recognizing that a hit on a nuclear 
power plant would be highly unlikely by Skylab debris, the NRC believes it 
would be prudent for licensees to review their, contingency plans in case 
such an event should actually occur. 

The NRC is in communication with the Department of Energy (DOE), and will 
receive notification from them as soon as the reentry corridor can be 
established. This notification may occur within 1 to 2 hours before reentry 
actually occurs. If it is determined that there are any licensed nuclear 
power plants in the reentry corridor, the plants will receive notification 
from their respective Regional Office via the dedicated phone line. 

This Information Notice is provided as an early notification of a possibly 
significant matter. It is expected that recipients will review the 
information for possible applicability to their facilities. No specific 
action or response is requested at this time. If further NRC evaluations so 
indicate, an IE Circular or Bulletin will be issued to recommend or request 
specific licensee actions. If you have questions regarding the matter, 
please contact the Director of the appropriate NRC Regional Office. 

No written response to this information notice is required.