Platts - Wednesday, May 07, 2003 
http://www.platts.com

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Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--6May2003

STP hopes for late summer restart of South Texas-1

STP Nuclear Operating Co.'s preliminary schedule calls
for the restart OF South Texas-1 by late summer, STP
spokesman Alan Mikus said. The source of two small boric
acid deposits found on the bottom reactor vessel head of
the 1,315-MW Westinghouse PWR last month will have to be
found and corrected before the unit can restart. Mikus
said STP expects to complete the nondestructive
examination of the bottom head and to have that
information analyzed by the end of May. Corrective
actions are expected to be completed by late summer, he
said. An NRC team was dispatched this week to observe
nondestructive examination (NDE) demonstrations by the
two vendors that STP is considering for NDE of the
reactor pressure vessel bottom head at South Texas-1.
STP plans to use NDE to pinpoint the source of two small
boric acid deposits found on the bottom head April 12,
NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said today. He added the NRC
has been satisfied with STP's response to the first-of-
a-kind deposits.

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Washington (Nuclear News Flashes)--6May2003

PSEG switches vendors for Hope Creek casks

PSEG Nuclear has pulled the plug on negotiations to
procure dry storage casks from NAC International,
announcing late last week it had signed a contract with
Holtec International for dry storage at Hope Creek. The
utility said in January it had selected NAC but,
according to a PSEG spokesman, was unable "to reach
final agreement on financial terms." The loss is a blow
to NAC, which reported large losses for fourth quarter
2002 soon after reaching the agreement in principle with
PSEG. Holtec will supply 16 of its Hi-Storm 100 concrete
and steel storage overpacks and 16 multipurpose
canisters, which can each hold 68 BWR fuel assemblies.
Holtec will also load the first four casks beginning in
2006

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