nuclear-news

Panels in the nuclear power plant’s waste storage pools have degraded below acceptable levels, the NRC says. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission flagged Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, along with four other nuclear power plants, for a problem with its nuclear waste storage in an April 7 letter.

At issue are Peach Bottom’s “spent fuel pools,” two tanks of circulating water, about 40 feet deep, which are located in buildings near its two reactors. Used fuel rods, still lethally radioactive, are stored in the pools, where the water helps to cool the rods and keep radiation contained.

The walls of the above-ground tanks are lined with special panels that help to prevent unwanted nuclear reactions, said Neil Sheehan, NRC spokesman.

Peach Bottom’s panels have degraded, making the nuclear waste more likely to threaten plant safety, Sheehan said.

“The pool could heat up, and it would be an event they’d have to respond to,” Sheehan said. “The idea is to prevent this from ever occurring.”

Peach Bottom has 210 days to tell the NRC what it has done to address the issue, Sheehan said. Though not an immediate safety concern, “degradation” of the panels has been “a longstanding issue,” Sheehan said.

In March 2012 the NRC issued a violation against Exelon, the company that owns the plant, for failing to keep the panels from degrading below required levels, Sheehan said……..http://www.ydr.com/story/news/2016/04/21/nrc-peach-bottom-must-fix-nuclear-fuel-pool/83344280/