NRC Says Pilgrim Plant is Operating Safely in Annual Performance Assessment

COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION

COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION

PLYMOUTH – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth is operating safely.

The NRC released its annual assessment letter which says no additional regulatory actions need to be taken since the plant was downgraded for safety violations and unplanned shutdowns in September.

“The public does not have to worry about the plant operating unsafely, but, clearly, we believe more attention is needed to make sure that some of these lower significant issues get the attention they warrant,” said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Pilgrim was placed in Column 4 of the NRC’s Action Matrix last year, opening the plant to increased federal scrutiny. The designation makes the Plymouth facility one of the worst-performing reactors in the country, along with two plants in Arkansas.

“The plant is getting among the highest levels of attention from the NRC among the 100 or so operating nuclear power plants across the US,” Sheehan said.”

The NRC is in the middle of a three-phase comprehensive inspection review process at the Pilgrim plant.

Phase A of the review, conducted in January, found that all the longstanding and risk-significant issues in the plant’s corrective action program were appropriately addressed.

“We’re seeing some progress taking place,” Sheehan said. “There are some issues that still need further attention but we are seeing from definite progress.”

The phase A inspection did uncover issues with the plants cooling system.

“There’s a concern about some voiding or air pockets being formed in this system that would inject coolants after a sudden shutdown,” Sheehan said. “We have seen that that’s been placed in the plant’s corrective action program and it’s getting attention.”

Sheehan said the NRC will follow up with the issue in subsequent inspections.

The second phase of inspections will be conducted in April with the third phase to follow later in the year.

“The third phase of this process will really be the most intensive and involve the most NRC inspectors,” Sheehan said.

Sheehan said Entergy, the plants owner, still needs to provide the NRC with a performance improvement plan.

“[The plan] will really help us to decide exactly the nature and the outlines of this more detailed inspection work that is yet to come,” he said.

The NRC will not hesitate to increase oversight or even shutdown the plant should problems persist.

“If we saw any issues that called into question whether the plant was safe to operate we would intervene,” Sheehan said. “And that would involve up to and including ordering the plant to shut down if we thought [it] was necessary to get any significant safety issues remedied.”

Entergy spokesman Patrick O’Brien said the company is pleased with the annual performance letter from the NRC.

“It points out that Pilgrim continues to operate safely,” O’Brien said. “But at the same time we understand that there is more work to be done. We are committed to a return to the highest regulatory and safety performance.”

Entergy plans to close the plant by the summer of 2019.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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