nuclear-news

Pilgrim Nuclear Station on the brink of permanent shutdown

Pilgrim nuclear plant one step from shutdown by regulators, Cape Cod Times  Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is now at the bottom of the performance list of the nation’s 99 operating reactors, based on its forced shutdowns and equipment failures, and in a category just one step above mandatory shutdown by federal regulators. By Christine Legereclegere@capecodonline.com Sep 2, 2015  PLYMOUTH –

Only two other plants in the country are currently in that category: Arkansas Nuclear One and Arkansas Nuclear Two. Those two, like Pilgrim, are Entergy-owned.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced the downgrade of the Pilgrim plant today. In a letter to Entergy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the downgrade was due to the plant’s failure to adequately address the issues that have caused the plant’s high number of unplanned shutdowns.

A supplemental inspection will focus on the plant’s shortcomings, “including human performance, procedure quality and equipment performance.”

The results of the supplemental inspection will “provide the NRC with additional information to be used in deciding whether the continued operation of the facility is acceptable and whether additional regulatory actions are necessary to arrest the licensee/plant performance,” the NRC said……..U.S. Sen Edward Markey, D-Mass., issued a statement on Pilgrim’s dubious status. “For decades, I have raised concerns about Pilgrim’s operations, security preparedness, the safety of the surrounding communities in the event of a nuclear accident, and the willingness of Entergy to dedicate sufficient resources to run the reactor safely,” Markey wrote.
The senator noted Pilgrim is the same boiling water reactor design as those that suffered meltdowns at Fukushima. http://capecodtimes.com/article/20150902/NEWS11/150909865

September 5, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA