Hallam Nuclear Power Facility

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The Hallam Nuclear Power Facility is located on a small portion of the 260-hectare (640-acre) site of the Sheldon Power Station in Lancaster County, Nebraska, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Lincoln, Nebraska.

FACILITY MISSION

The Hallam Nuclear Power Facility was a 240-megawatt (thermal) sodium-cooled graphite-moderated nuclear reactor built and operated as a demonstration project by the Atomic Energy Commission between 1962 and 1964. In 1965, the Atomic Energy Commission terminated its agreement with the Consumers Public Power District for operation of the facility, and in 1967, the Nebraska Public Power District (formerly the Consumers Public Power District) was authorized to decommission and dismantle the facility. Decommissioning and dismantlement activities at the facility concluded in 1969, and the Atomic Energy Commission retired the facility in 1971. As a successor agency to the Atomic Energy Commission, the Department of Energy currently maintains responsibility for the remaining buildings at the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility. However, the Nebraska Public Power District owns the facility property and is responsible for all landlord costs.

The Hallam Nuclear Power Facility has no current mission. Activities at the site are limited to semi-annual surveillance and monitoring, which is expected to end in FY 2090.

FUTURE USE

This estimate assumes that the Hallam Nuclear Facility will be transferred to the Nebraska Public Power District in FY 2005. Because of known contaminated buried materials, this estimate assumes that future use of this facility will be limited to Controlled Access.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

Currently, there is no known environmental contamination at the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility. All potential contaminants at the site are contained within the entombment structure in Area 1 (reactor vessel and vessel containment structures), Area 2 (fuel storage pit 3 thimbles), or Area 3 (moderator element storage cells). These contaminants include nickel-63, cobalt-60, iron-55, manganese-54, samarium-151, cesium-137, strontium-90, and tritium. The contaminants within the structure consist of activation products in the stainless steel reactor vessel and its internals. Lesser amounts of activation products are dispersed in the carbon steel thermal shield and guard vessel surrounding the reactor vessel and in the compartment liner itself. See the Site Map for the location of Environmental Restoration program activities.

At the time the reactor was decommissioned and dismantled, the core and most of the radioactive materials were removed from the site. All bulk sodium was also removed from the site, and residual sodium was reacted with steam to form sodium hydroxide, removing the potential for hydrogen formation at a later date should water leak into the facility. The reactor vessel and surrounding guard vessel, with associated double-walled piping, and most of the reactor vessel internals, remain within the compartment.

Fuel Storage Pit 3 contains a number of stainless steel thimbles formerly used to store spent fuel elements. The storage pool was drained, and the thimbles now contain process tubes, control rod tubes, dummy elements, and a spent neutron source. To prevent leaks, closures and dust covers for each thimble have been welded in place and the interspace has been filled with expanding concrete.

Storage Area 3 consists of 12 storage cells containing three canistered moderator elements that experienced cladding failures during reactor operation. A number of parts, such as pumps, valves, and segments of piping are stored in these cells. The moderator cells were sealed by welding the plug casings to the cell liners and filling the space above the plugs with expanding concrete.

The basement level of the facility contained radioactive waste disposal equipment, all of which has either been removed or decontaminated, as appropriate. All reactor compartments have been sealed, and the surface of the below-grade concrete structure was covered with sand, a waterproof polyvinyl membrane, and a covering of earth. The cover was sloped for proper drainage, and drain tile was installed at the periphery. Above-grade structures have been weatherproofed by a layer of polyvinyl and a protective cover of concrete.

Currently, the Department of Energy is conducting semi-annual surveillance and monitoring as part of an agreement with the Nebraska Department of Health to monitor the release of radioactivity and monitor ground water. There are no current or planned activities related to assessment, remedial action, stabilization, or additional decommissioning at the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility.

Long-Term Surveillance and Monitoring

Although the potential for transport of radioactive materials stored in the isolation structure to the environment is minimal, the Department's Chicago Operations Office has agreed with the Nebraska Department of Health to conduct semi-annual environmental radiological surveillance and monitoring to verify that no radioactivity is being released to the environment. The basis for radiological surveillance and monitoring was previously established while a contract termination agreement was in effect that involved the Nebraska Public Power District and the Atomic Energy Commission.

In addition, the Chicago Operations Office and the Nebraska Department of Health agreed to install a shallow ground-water monitoring system as part of the long-term environmental surveillance and monitoring program. Installation of this system was completed in FY 1995 and this report assumes monitoring will continue until FY 2090.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management and support costs for the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility are relatively small and revolve around the planning and implementation activities necessary to conduct the biannual surveillance and maintenance activities, and data review and analysis. Chicago Operations Office personnel conduct these activities on a level-of-effort basis. Geoscientists are monitoring wells around the entombed reactor for ground-water conditions and radiological contaminants. The monitoring is required to occur for one month every year. All program management and support costs are included within the estimates for Long-Term Surveillance and Monitoring.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Because of the limited personnel needs, personnel estimates for the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility are included within the personnel estimates in the Chicago Operations Office Site Summary.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The costs for the Hallam Nuclear Power Facility in the FY 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report reflect no major changes in scope or technical approach from information presented in the FY 1995 report. However, the duration of long-term surveillance and monitoring requirements in the FY 1996 estimate reflects costs through FY 2090. The FY 1995 estimate included activities only through FY 2030. This 60-year increase accounts for most of the approximately 275 percent increase in the life-cycle cost. See the comparison table on the following page for additional life-cycle cost information.