Monthly Archives: August 2011

Pennsylvania nuke reports deficiency in Fitness for Duty program

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires that all commercial nuclear power plants in the United States establish a program to identify potential drug or alcohol problems through a Fitness for Duty system that requires the facilities to randomly test employees for substance … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Fitness for Duty, Security | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

New Japanese PM is more pro-nuke than Naoto Kan

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Naoto Kan resigned as Japanese Prime Minister this week, and it looks like his replacement will be more pro-nuke than his predecessor. As the World Nuclear News reported today: Yoshihiko Noda has been selected as the new leader of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mass. Rep. Markey calls on NRC to revise safety standards after Hurricane Irene

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday, asking them to “re-evaluate and, as necessary, upgrade the protection against hurricanes and other extreme weather events in light of the multiple challenges faced by nuclear power … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Flood emergency ends for Nebraska nuke

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

The Fort Calhoun nuclear power station informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission yesterday that it was terminating the Unusual Event caused by flooding on the Missouri River, two-and-a-half months after it was declared.  

Posted in Event Reports, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Virginia nuke reassesses last week’s earthquake

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

The North Anna nuclear facility in Virgina issued an update to its Event Report from last week, when a 5.8 earthquake struck the East Coast and closed both reactors at the plant. Pardon the Nuclearese: “Other conditions exist(ed) which … warrant declaration … Continue reading →

Posted in Earthquake, Event Reports, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Texas nuke provides few details on security event

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

In a tersely worded Event Report, operators of Comanche Peak in Texas said: “The licensee declared a Notice of Unusual Event per emergency plan condition HU 4-1 due to a security event.” A subsequent update noted that the Unusual Event had … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Security | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hurricane knocked out some emergency sirens at three nukes

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

According to this morning’s NRC Event Reports page, three nuclear power plants had problems with their emergency sirens during Hurricane Irene. Calvert Cliffs in Maryland reported that 44 sirens were out of operation due to loss of power. Peach Bottom … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Hurricane, Security | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Calvert Cliffs suffered transformer explosion during Hurricane Irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

The NRC Event Reports are very busy this morning, as would be expected following a hurricane affecting numerous reactors. I’m going to divide my posts by type this morning, starting with Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, which suffered an automatic trip … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Hurricane, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Japanese Prime Minister wants to build interim storage facility in Fukushima prefecture

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

Outgoing Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan met with the governor of Fukushima prefecture this week. As reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper: Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato on Saturday to allow the construction of a temporary … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Nuclear waste, Plant shutdowns, Radiation leak, Radioactive waste | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

More details on Unusual Event at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

WBAL TV, Baltimore’s NBC affiliate, just posted a report on the Unusual Event at Calvert Cliffs: Calvert Cliffs, a Southern Maryland nuclear power plant, automatically went offline overnight. Constellation Energy Nuclear Group spokesman Mark Sullivan released a statement shortly before … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reports, Hurricane, Plant shutdowns, Reactor problems | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment