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‘Substantial’ safety violation alleged at South Carolina nuclear plant after 20 years of problems

The State, Sammy Fretwell, Sun, October 8, 2023 #nuclear #antinuclear #nuclear-free #NoNukes

Federal regulators have cited Dominion Energy for what they say is a substantial safety violation after finding that utility workers failed for 20 years to resolve cracking problems at the company’s V.C. Summer nuclear power plant northwest of Columbia.

This past week, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued what’s known as a preliminary “yellow’’ safety assessment, a measure of how serious an atomic safety problem is considered at a power plant. Yellow assessments are the second most serious on an NRC scale of severity.

The NRC, which rarely issues yellow findings, said nuclear plant operators did not resolve cracking problems from 2003 to 2022 in V.C. Summer’s diesel generator system, one of the most important backup safety systems at an atomic power plant.

NRC officials were not available Friday to explain their concerns with the backup diesel generator system, but an Oct. 4 enforcement letter to Dominion nuclear operations president Eric Carr said the utility violated an atomic safety standard that could result in more scrutiny of the power plant……………………………………….

the NRC says the utility never adequately assessed what could be done to make sure the diesel piping system did not experience more cracking. The most recent cracks were identified in November 2022 during a 24-hour test of the system. Workers found a small leak on one of two diesel generator systems. The leak increased over time and workers discovered a 140-degree crack around a pipe, records show………………..

Tom Clements, a long-time nuclear safety advocate, said the NRC’s recent yellow safety assessment reveals a violation “too egregious to ignore.’’ He called for a “severe monetary fine’’ against Dominion, which he said ignored preventative maintenance through the years.

Dominion’s problems are noteworthy in light of the company’s recent request to renew its V.C. Summer operating license another 40 years, Clements said. The power plant, which cranked up operations in the early 1980s, is about 25 miles northwest of Columbia in rural Fairfield County…………  https://news.yahoo.com/substantial-safety-violation-alleged-sc-141716023.html

October 9, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized