The extra inspections that Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has been subjected to may not be ending any time soon.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has come out with its findings following the plant’s emergency shutdown during the January 27, 2015 blizzard.
During the shutdown, one the safety relief valves did not open properly, according to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. NRC inspectors found that the problem with the valve should have been found and fixed during a plant shutdown in February 2013, he wrote in an e-mail. Instead, the problem with those valves was found when they were inspected after the January 2015 shutdown.
The February 2013 shutdown was also caused by a winter storm. Federal inspectors weren’t satisfied with how Pilgrim Station staff handled the situation then, either. The plant has been subject to additional inspections since then.
The failure to deal with the problem will likely result in what the NRC calls a “white” finding, which could mean additional inspections for the plant, according to Sheehan. Entergy, the plant’s owner, will have a chance to respond to the report before the NRC makes a final decision.
Continue reading at NRC finds fault with Pilgrim Station’s winter storm shut down