Beyond Nuclear launches investigation into fire protection at US nuclear power plants to determine if industry misled federal government on compliance
The NRC is looking into allegations made by Beyond Nuclear that the nuclear industry misled federal nuclear safety officials regarding industry compliance with agency Orders for reactors to protect control room electrical circuits vital to shutting down reactors following a serious fire.
Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear Reactor Oversight Director, called for the investigation in testimony before the Commission as part of a December 13th briefing by industry officials and NRC staff on the status of fire protection at nuclear power plants in the US.
The Beyond Nuclear investigation documents that operators like Exelon’s Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey Township, NJ were found in violation of federal fire code for safe shutdown equipment and ordered to protect the electric circuit from potential fire damage by installing approved fire barriers. Beyond Nuclear is alleging that the Oyster Creek operators later replied to the federal agency that the corrective actions were completed per Orders when in fact they had instead substituted illegal and unauthorized actions.
In the end, NRC exempted many operators from the very law that the nuclear power plants were originally under Orders to comply with.
However, if there is a finding that nuclear power plant operators willfully misled the government, this would constitute a felony offense.
December 15, 2011