nuclear-news

NRC alerts nuclear operators to possible design flaw July 27   Jul 28, 2012   (Reuters) – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday alerted nuclear power plant operators to a potential design vulnerability that could affect key safety equipment and requested additional information about power system designs.

The regulator’s notice comes after Exelon Corp’s 1,136-megawatt unit 2
at Byron nuclear power station automatically shut on Jan. 30 due to
unbalanced voltage entering the plant’s power system from the
transmission network……. Loss of offsite power was identified by
the NRC as an important issue to be addressed in the wake of the
devastating earthquake and tsunami that led to the meltdown of
reactors at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011.

The NRC will use the information it receives to determine if further
regulatory action is needed.

The NRC issued a notice March 1 to inform licensees of recent
experience involving loss of one of three phases of the offsite power
circuit, including the Byron event.

Operators have to provide information on their electric system designs
within 90 days. Both operating commercial power reactors and the four
combined licenses for new reactors issued earlier this year must
respond, the NRC said .
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/27/utilities-operations-nrc-idINL2E8IR7EL20120727

July 29, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA