NRC to conduct special inspection at Oconee Nuclear Plant

subscribe

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission began a special inspection Tuesday at Duke Energy's Oconee nuclear power plant to assess the degradation of power cables on start-up transformers for two of the plant's three units.

Upon further inspection, it was determined that other cables linked to the Unit 1 start-up transformer were in a degraded condition. All of the cables have been repaired and the transformers are available for use if needed.

"There was not an event in which the start-up transformers were needed, but they play a very important role in some circumstances by providing electrical power to plant safety equipment," said Leonard Wert, acting NRC Region II administrator. "We felt a special inspection was warranted to gather more information about Duke's response and also determine if there are generic issues that may apply to other plants." The on-site inspectors for the special inspection are the senior resident inspector from the Oconee plant and an inspector from the NRC's Region II office in Atlanta.

Another NRC expert from Atlanta will not travel to the site, but will assist in reviewing the data gathered. The team's work will include a review of the circumstances surrounding the degradation and failure of the cables and the utility's actions after the degraded conditions were identified.

It will also develop a timeline on when the cables were damaged and or failed, and review Duke's testing and maintenance practices. The on-site portion of the inspection will take several days. A report documenting the results should be issued within 45 days of the completion of the inspection.

Related News

orono wind turbines

Canada will need more electricity to hit net-zero: IEA report

TORONTO - Canada will need more electricity capacity if it wants to hit its climate targets, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The report offers mainly a rosy picture of Canada's overall federal energy policy. But, the IEA draws attention to Canada's increasing future electricity demands, and ultimately, calls on Canada to leverage its non-emitting energy potential to hit its climate targets.  

"Canada's wealth of clean electricity and its innovative spirit can help drive a secure and affordable transformation of its energy system and help realize its ambitious goals," stated Fatih Birol, the IEA executive director, in…

READ MORE

Report: Solar ITC Extension Would Be ‘Devastating’ for US Wind Market

READ MORE

Zero-emission electricity in Canada by 2035 is practical and profitable

READ MORE

wisconsin nuclear power plant

We Energies refiles rate hike request driven by rising nuclear power costs

READ MORE

ottawa power lines

Lack of energy: Ottawa’s electricity consumption drops 10 per cent during pandemic

READ MORE