Group Calls for Early Shutdown of Seabrook Station

Submitted by No More Fukushimas

No More Fukushimas, a Newburyport-based public safety watchdog, asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wednesday to shut down Seabrook Station nuclear power plant because of insurmountable public safety problems. 

Citing Seabrook’s ongoing struggle to contain degradation of concrete structures and the growing risk of flooding of the coastal facility, No More Fukushimas contends that public safety in communities surrounding Seabrook can no longer be assured.

"No More Fukushimas has two primary reasons for urging the NRC to shut down Seabrook," explained Bruce Skud, a No More Fukushimas cofounder.  “First, the concrete-degradation study funded by Seabrook’s owner, NextEra, is flawed and cannot be used as the basis for determining the reliability of structures at Seabrook.  Second, the NRC’s claim that the plant can be safely operated in the short term is unfounded and cannot be substantiated."

The NRC and Seabrook have been attempting to understand and correct the serious concrete degradation at Seabrook caused by alkali-silica reaction (ASR).  Discovered in 2009, ASR – a slow but progressive reaction between alkali in cement and silica in the aggregate used to produce concrete – can cause cracks to form in concrete structures.  ASR damage has affected numerous buildings at Seabrook – both above and below ground – and methods to halt the current damage and prevent future damage have proved elusive.  

Currently NextEra is funding an ASR study by a research team at the University of Texas.  No More Fukushimas feels the study has been doomed from the outset since the researchers are not using the same aggregate that was used when Seabrook was built and because they are not evaluating the concrete under on-site conditions, or even under conditions typical of coastal New Hampshire. 

No More Fukushimas has based its charge that the plant cannot be operated safely, even in the short term, on information and criteria provided by the NRC.  For example, although in an official statement the NRC  claims that the reinforcing bars (rebar) embedded in concrete structures at Seabrook has not been adversely affected by ASR, a high-level NRC official has stated that the ASR is "straining the rebar" and "causing the rebar to bow." Given that Seabrook is sited in a seismically active locale, No More Fukushimas believes that any structural weakness should be cause for alarm. 

No More Fukushimas also challenges the absence of an independent investigation into ASR at Seabrook. The group points out that the NRC and the plant are making decisions that affect public safety based on an in-house study, funded by the plant owner.

For additional information please contact Bruce Skud at bruceskud@gmail.com 

Founded by Bruce Skud (Newburyport) and Joanna Hammond (Amesbury), No More Fukushimas is a grassroots organization of citizens who live and work near the Seabrook nuclear power plant, primarily in Massachusetts.  We focus on public safety rather than the debate over nuclear power.