The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission imposed its largest fine ever—$28 million—on FirstEnergy Corp.’s nuclear subsidiary for failing to report potential problems with its Davis-Besse nuclear powerplant.

The fine eclipsed the $5.45-million civil penalty assessed against the Akron, Ohio-based utility last April. The latest fine includes $4.35 million to be divided among several agencies and charities for community goodwill projects. FirstEnergy has 60 days to pay the fine.

In February 2002, inspectors at Davis-Besse, Oak Harbor, Ohio, found a 4 x 7-in. cavity all the way through the 6-in. carbon-steel reactor pressure-vessel head of the plant’s single 925-MW pressurized-water-reactor. Only a 0.3-in. stainless-steel liner remained to hold the 2,200-psi pressure in the vessel (ENR 4/8/02 p. 10). FirstEnergy eventually spent $605 million on repairs, which included replacing the head. The unit was shut down until March 2004.

Ken Schneider, FirstEnergy spokesman, notes the utility made many changes at the plant and corporate levels to guard against a recurrence of the problems. “We have a new management team at the plant,” he says. “We have more executive team staffing at the corporate level to improve oversight [at the plant], including numerous people with strong nuclear experience.”

The company agreed to cooperate with the Dept. of Justice as it pursues criminal indictments against three former FirstEnergy Davis-Besse staffers: Andrew J. Siemaszko, a former systems engineer; David C. Geisen, a former engineering manager; and Rodney M. Cook, an outside contractor-consultant at the plant. Siemaszko and Geisen were indicted on five counts each, while Cook was indicted on four. They each face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The three were involved in mishandling the reporting of the reactor head problems.