NRC Flags Power Plant With Nuke Safety Violations

Nov. 27, 2000
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission imposed the highest level of reactor oversight on Consolidated Edison Inc. for safety problems that led to a radioactive leak at its Indian Point nuclear plant.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) imposed last week the highest level of reactor oversight on Consolidated Edison Inc. for the company''s violation of NRC inspection requirements at its Indian Point nuclear plant in New York.

This is the NRC''s first "red" finding, citing safety problems that led to a radioactive leak at the power plant north of New York City in February.

Under NRC''s reactor oversight process adopted in April, the agency assesses inspection findings and characterizes their risk significance by color, specifically green, white, yellow or red.

A green finding results in normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow and red assessments are considered progressively more serious and receive greater scrutiny.

The red rating goes back to Con Ed''s 1997 steam generator inspection.

In February, a steam generator tube inside the 931-megawatt Indian Point 2, cracked, leaking a small amount of radioactive water.

NRC noted that the incident had no injuries at the plant and no public health and safety consequences.

Under pressure from the public and politicians, Con Ed eventually agreed to replace its aging generators.

Con Ed said it used the best technology available, but NRC said better methods could have detected the tubes'' susceptibility to corrosion and might have prevented the leak.

No fine was imposed and no court action is planned. Con Ed expects Indian Point 2 to be running again next month.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

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EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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