Commission criticizes deProsse

Two experts on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff Monday recommended tha t all nuclear power plants buDt by Babcock and WDCOI, manufacturers of the Three Mile Island plant, be shut down temporarily. "I believe there exists a considerable m1amatch between operator training, operator experience and the B&W _hlne," said Edson Case at a staff briefing for the NRC commiuioners. But Case's oo,s, Harold Denton, said be would rather walt untll more inICIIIlation on po88lble defects In the plants is studied. NRC ChalrmBn Joseph Hendrie that IIid the commissIon will meet either today or Wednesday to decide what to do. Denton, who is director of nuclear reactor regulation, said he could change his mind on closing the plants If further study indicates the need to do so. Nine Babcoc}t and WilcOl planta have been built; three the Oconee units In South Carolina are operating. Five others were closed temporarily for repairs or for maintenance prior to the Three Mile Island acclden t. The Rancho Seco plant In California underwent an automatic shutdown Sunday due to an electrical-system failure. Case said he would "feel more comfortable" if all the Babcock and Wilcox reactors were shut down pending a full review of their problems. Such a shutdown could take "a month or so," he said. Roger Mattson, director of ~ctor safety, said he leaned toward Case's view because operators of the plants have not been trained adequately to handle emergencies. • Earlier, Denton said that Babcock and Wilcox reactors were more sensitive to abnormal conditions, which places greater burdens than normal on the operators. An equipment breakdown at Three Mile Island on March 28, compounded by design and human errors, severely damaged the Unit 2 reactor and threatened for a time to lead to a disastrous meltdown. Denton said that, as a rough estimate, the chances of a problem requiring the activation of the emergency cooling system the Initial cause of the Three Mile Island problem were from one In 10 to one In 100 for Babcock and Wilcox plants and about 10 times lower for reactors made by the other two reactor