Regulators Issue Safety Violation at Wisconsin Nuclear Plant

- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a report recently concluding that the potential failure of an auxiliary feedwater pump at the Point Beach nuclear plant deserved a red finding, its most serious safety violation.

It's the second red finding for Point Beach of only five such violations issued by the federal agency in the past four years.

We Energies, the Milwaukee utility company that owns the nuclear plant near Two Rivers, says the public is not at risk.

"We maintain that Point Beach is safe, and we maintain that we will continue to keep it safe," said We Energies spokeswoman Wendy Parks.

The latest red flag from the NRC stems from a hypothetical problem with the auxiliary feedwater system, discovered during plant maintenance a year ago, said Maureen Brown, public affairs director for the Nuclear Management Co. in Hudson. The company operates six Upper Midwest nuclear plants, including Point Beach.

Part of the system could become clogged with debris under abnormal conditions, NRC inspectors found. The auxiliary feedwater system is used to cool the reactor in case of an accident.

The first red finding involved valves on the same feedwater system. Plant employees noted that potential problem in 2001.

The Nuclear Management Co. is not disputing the findings. "We take these issues very, very seriouly," Brown said.

Jan Strasma, public affairs officer for the NRC regional office in Lisle, Ill., said both problems have been fixed.

"When the problems were found by the utility, they took prompt action," training staff, changing procedures and modifying equipment. "In both the red findings, the problem is gone," Strasma said.

But Charlie Higley, executive director of the Citizens' Utility Board, is not convinced.

"I have grave concern that Point Beach is still ... not being operated safely," he said. "If it can't be operated safely, then it should be shut down."

No fines have been imposed, Strasma said, but NRC staff will keep a close watch on the plant.

We Energies is expected to decide this month if it will apply for an extension of Point Beach's operating license. One unit's license expires in 2010, the other in 2013.

The plant generates up to 1,034 megawatts of electricity, enough to light about 500,000 homes.