Millstone

[DJ@Retired]

 Dominion, owners of the Millstone Power Station, filed two applications with federal regulators Thursday that could extend the life of its two nuclear reactors by two decades.

If the applications are granted, the Millstone 870-megawatt Unit 2 reactor, which started operating in 1975, would be operational until 2035, while the station's 1,150-megawatt Unit 3 reactor, which started operating in 1986, would be operational until 2046.

When nuclear power first came into commercial use on a widespread basis in the 1960s, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted 40-year licenses to operate nuclear reactors. But as the reactors have aged, the industry has said that they remain safe and economically viable, prompting the commission to amend its rules by allowing 20-year extensions.

"Our regulations say you can apply no sooner than 20 years before expiration of the license, so there is an ample window for them to apply," said commission member Neil Sheehan. "We actually encourage them to apply early so we can have an orderly process."

Of the 103 operating nuclear power reactors in the United States, 24, including two owned by Dominion in Virginia, have been approved for 20-year extensions. The nuclear industry anticipates that all remaining reactor operators will eventually apply.

The oldest operating nuclear plants in the country are at the Oyster Creek plant in Lacey Township, N.J., and the Nine Mile plant in Lycoming, N.Y., both of which came on line in late 1968. Neither has applied for extension, according to Sheehan. The first plant to apply for renewal was the Calvert Cliffs plant in Lusby, Md.

"They decided to take the plunge first," Sheehan noted, explaining that the application process is expensive and rigorous. "This is not a rubber-stamp process."

Dominion and the NRC estimate it will take two years to review the Millstone applications. "These are not simple or easy reviews," Sheehan said. "They cost millions of dollars; they involve a tremendous amount of manpower. ... We look at how they manage the plant, how they would manage the plant going forward."

Pete Hyde, a spokesman for Millstone, said both reactors are constantly being upgraded.

"One of the things about a nuclear power station is, it's a lot like an airplane," he said. "During outages or refuelings, that's an opportunity to upgrade the system and to replace components, so there's really no such thing as an old nuclear plant."

Recently, Hyde pointed out, new turbines were installed at Unit 2, and in 2005 Dominion will replace the reactor vessel head.

A major concern, however, is that the reactor walls, made of six-inch-thick steel, could become brittle over time. "Embrittlement is an issue," Hyde said.

But according to the NRC, inspectors pay especially close attention to that in the review process.

"There's no reason it can't last for 60 years," said Sheehan. "Every year they have to check on the conditions of the reactor vessel and make sure there's no embrittlement or cracking. That's something we've really focused on."

Millstone employs roughly 1,200 people and translates to millions of dollars for the local economy, according to a recent study by an industry group, the Nuclear Energy Institute.

"Basically, we're talking about a $515 million impact on the local economy over the course of a year," Hyde said.

Millstone's Unit 1 reactor was closed down in 1999 after 29 years of operation.

Asked whether there was a possibility that Dominion could build another plant, Hyde said, "I would never say that we've ruled it out, but it's very unlikely."

[RADBASTARD]

I had a good time working there for pete beck,and mark brooks in containment and s/g ,but the pay  and per diemis on the low end for sure for that area.

[Mike McFarlin]

I worked in Construction Safety/ALARA back in 1987. It was a good place to work. Not great, just good.

[shygrrl120]

I worked in-house there for 11 years, doing in processing and working in Training.  I think most people will agree the conditions have worsened since Dominion took over.  The area is very nice, but fairly expensive in most peoples' opinions.

[aubergine63]

just finished u2 outage.  work for pete beck or mark brooks on nights and its pretty good.  area kind of a drag, but the plant people were pretty decent.  still doesn't pay commensurate with the aggravation, but hey,  which plant actually does?

[DDMurray]

I was contacted by Millstone HR department and scheduled an interview for tomorrow morning for an auxiliary operator position.  I've reviewed the forum on what to wear (I'm wearing a suit which is contrary to what some have recommended).  I'm going to work on some of the questions I saw here and I'm going to do some research on Millstone and Dominion in case I get asked any questions about what I know about the company.  Finally I'm going to prepare a few questions in case I get the opportunity to ask questions.  The HR person said I would take a POSS at a later date so I'll be getting an ASVAB book to work on my speed (assuming I don't suck during the interview).  I was very slow on the on-line practice test.
   Are there any other things I should expect?  This is my first job interview since I before I joined the navy over 24 years ago, so I'm a bit nervous.  Thanks.

Derek Murray

[retired nuke]

Get plenty of rest tonite.
Relax.
Answer honestly
good luck   

[Fermi2]

Don't fidget, either fold your hands in your lap or place them firmly on your thighs.
Don't answer off the top of your head. Take a moment to think about what you are going to say. Remember this is potentially your future, you've probably thought through everything very thoroughly to this point so don't give glib answers.
Remember no one in that room is there to disqualify you for that job, you being hired means one less interview and less work for them

Mike

[nowhereman]

Did they say which unit you will be interviewing for?.....just a note for you......Unit three is the flagship of the site and when they have to go to Unit two , they are saying they have to go to Maybury......(smaller unit, more of a closer knit, family situation)

[fueldryer]

Did they say which unit you will be interviewing for?.....just a note for you......Unit three is the flagship of the site and when they have to go to Unit two , they are saying they have to go to Maybury......(smaller unit, more of a closer knit, family situation)

There's nothing "family" at either unit.Everyone hate's everyone,unit 2-unit 3. The mechanic's are all back stabbers and they'll f**k ya in a heart beat.Then you got the "union" boy's that came from CY,if you don't believe in their cause the you'll get labeled..Good luck either way..The guy's in op's are all good people.....

[DDMurray]

My interview went okay.  There were two guys with prepared questions.  They were guys from the plant and they seemed receptive to my responses and told me that SRO would likely require 6 months in house before applying.  They even showed me the flowchart Dominion uses to determine the requirements for SRO.

The HR person said wearing a suit was fine ("Dress to Impress" was her response when I saw everybody else in khakis and polo shirts and asked her if I overdressed).  They have scheduled me for the POSS on 14July and said they would give me a tour of the plant that day (or at least the simulator).  Overall I was impressed with the people and the impression they left me was that they had a favorable opinion of Millstone and Dominion.  It seems the horror stories I read about a few years back are behind them.

I'd like to thank everyone for their help.  I will be better prepared for my next interview and hopefully get rid of the "ums".

Derek Murray

[G-reg]

The "Hate Era" that existed back in the 90's is a thing of the past.  There was a major management bloodletting after the NRC took away their keys, and many of the "culture" problems that existed at Millstone have been subsequently resolved.  A change in station ownership (from Northeast Utilities to Dominion) back around that same time also helped.  The Bad Old Days are a thing of the past.

Wearing a suit to the job interview was the right call IMHO.  Best of luck to you!

- Greg

[DDMurray]

I took the POSS today.  It was like I thought except one part of the math that I had trouble with.  Lots algebra with fractions and decimal places.  I didn't practice them much.  I finished two of the sections completely.  I had five left on the "put the pieces together" and about eight left on the graphs.  I was really disappointed in the math.  It is usually my best subject, but not today.

I did get a tour of the plant, including control room.  I was impressed with size of everything.  I was introduced to the assistant operations manager.  That meet and greet didn't go too well.  I got the impression that they think I expect too much, though I haven't asked for anything other than letting them know I'd like to get into the SRO program.  They made it pretty clear I needed to sow my oats in Ops if I wanted to go anywhere at Dominion.  I am definitely on board with that, but I left with them saying, "We'll call after the POSS results come out."  In a nutshell, I'm not feeling too good about how this has gone since the first interview.

DM

[retired nuke]

I took the POSS today.  It was like I thought except one part of the math that I had trouble with.  Lots algebra with fractions and decimal places.  I didn't practice them much.  I finished two of the sections completely.  I had five left on the "put the pieces together" and about eight left on the graphs.  I was really disappointed in the math.  It is usually my best subject, but not today.
In a nutshell, I'm not feeling too good about how this has gone since the first interview.
DM

If that one doesn't pan out - Entergy has several openings - couple of sites - posted here on nukeworker, or on their website - whole new class being hired right now...

Good luck

[DDMurray]

Got the POSS results already. Here's the applicable e-mail, "Congratulations, your test result for the EEI Plant Operator Selection System (POSS) test is Recommended Fossil, Hydro & Nuclear. We are currently evaluating the qualifications of those individuals who were recommended. Dominion will be reviewing the pool of applicants who will move forward to the next step in the screening process." 
At least the exam went okay.  Again I'd like to thank the nukeworkers for their sound advice in prepping for the test and interview.

Derek Murray

[x633ro]

Congratulations Derek,
If your looking for warmer weather send me an E-mail.
Mike

[JustinHEMI05]

Congrats and good luck!


Justin

[NavynukeMM1]

Got the POSS results already. Here's the applicable e-mail, "Congratulations, your test result for the EEI Plant Operator Selection System (POSS) test is Recommended Fossil, Hydro & Nuclear. We are currently evaluating the qualifications of those individuals who were recommended. Dominion will be reviewing the pool of applicants who will move forward to the next step in the screening process." 
At least the exam went okay.  Again I'd like to thank the nukeworkers for their sound advice in prepping for the test and interview.

Derek Murray

Did you get the job?

[DDMurray]

Did you get the job?

I eventually got a job offer for Instant SRO.  Millstone was very slow with the job offer.  I called them about once a week.  I later found out that Dominion had put them on a hiring freeze so all new hires for SRO had to be approved by corporate.  I turned it down for an Instant position at Watts Bar.

[NavynukeMM1]

I eventually got a job offer for Instant SRO.  Millstone was very slow with the job offer.  I called them about once a week.  I later found out that Dominion had put them on a hiring freeze so all new hires for SRO had to be approved by corporate.  I turned it down for an Instant position at Watts Bar.

Oh, I see. Was hoping for some input on the Millstone site. Would love to live in the New England area.

[DDMurray]

I lived in Groton for 7 1/2 years.  PM G-reg.  He's been there a long time and works (or worked) at Millstone.  I really enjoyed living there.  It was a very tough decision to leave.

DM

[G-reg]

I'm still at Millstone, and lovin' every minute of it! 

Feel free to PM me - what would you like to know?

[chris2627]

G-reg, I am leaving the Navy in June and really want to get in to Millstone. I worked with Derek for about 2 years before he retired. I was wondering if you had any point of contact information, particularly, where to start the process. Also, is the hiring freeze still going on ?
Thanks, Chris

[G-reg]

It doesn't look like we're going to be doing much in the way of hiring this year (possibly a little bit towards November/December).  But I have heard there's supposed to be a class-up of new NLO hires in 2010.  There may also be some HP openings in 2010, but I can't say 100% for sure just yet.

In the meantime, we do have an outage here in October (which you could work as a temporary contractor).  To put in for a contractor job during our outage this fall, go to http://www.bartlettinc.com/sp.cfm?pageid=1771 and select the "Millstone, Waterford Connecticut" outage.  Fill out the remainder of the form, and hit "Submit".  Working an outage as a contractor is a great way to try-before-you-buy (and pocket a few $$$ in the process).  That's how I ended up here...

The official place to start the process for a full-time, house job here at Millstone is: http://dom.com/jobs/index.jsp.  Click on the "View openings & apply" link, and create a new account for yourself.  This will take you to the Dominion (ie, the company that owns the Millstone site) jobs bulletin board.

Those are the basic, cookie-cutter answers.  Send me a PM with your job interests (field/position) and some additional info on your background; that way, I can give you more custom-tailored answers for your specific situation.

- Greg

[HenryBlack]

I would like to say that Millstone used to be my favorite place to work. But the revenue service after they started with state taxes have made it hard for me to go back. If you are a non resident you have to pay Connecticut taxes on your income for the entire year no matter where you worked for it. However if you are a redisdent and work out of state you only pay taxes on in-state income. If this doesn't bother you I bet you will enjoy it there. Even though  I haven't been there in 19 years I still think about it a lot.
Henry