Nuclear plant gets passing grade (from federal regulators)

A federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission performance review of Oyster Creek gave Exelon Nuclear, owner and operator of the plant, a passing grade for safe operation.

"Overall, Oyster Creek operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and fully met all cornerstone objectives," David C. Lew, the director of NRC Division of Reactor Projects, stated in a March 3 letter to Exelon Senior Vice President Charles G. Pardee.

On Feb. 12, NRC staff completed its performance review of the Forked River-based power plant after its technical staff reviewed performance indicators for the most recent quarter and inspection results from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2009.

Lew noted the plant experienced several unplanned scrams (interruptions in power production) per 7,000 hours being designated as "white," which is of a low-to-moderate safety significance. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said that color indicators are used to measure plant performance. The colors start with "green" and then increase to "white," "yellow" or "red," commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

"Oyster Creek had an unplanned scram, or shutdown, on July 12, 2009 that put it over the performance indicator (PI) threshold of more than three unplanned scrams during the previous 7,000 hours of operation. That led to a change in that performance indicator from green to white and triggered a higher level of NRC oversight," Sheehan said.
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http://www.app.com/article/20100305/NEWS/3050343/Nuclear-plant-gets-passing-grade

Not much to see here but a glimpse out how ongoing oversight of the NRC works.

BTW: Even with 2 unplanned shutdowns Oyster Point achieved a capacity factor of 86% which is slight lower than industry average (92%) but far superior to any other form of power.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/oyster_creek.html

Davis-Besse: gambling safety for profits

NIRS has obtained nearly 2,000 pages of documents on the Davis-Besse affair under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents show that despite receiving false statements from First Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was aware that Davis-Besse was operating in violation of its license, yet still allowed the reactor to keep running....

http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/575/5448.html