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News

The USA fleet’s efforts to support plant Fukushima response actions have shifted into high gear for 2015, with many plants implementing actions in response to NRC orders, industry commitments and Operating Experience from the 2011 accident in Japan.

During 2014, the first domestic nuclear plants completed plant modifications, equipment purchases, installation of Spent Fuel Pool Level instrumentation, NRC FLEX audits, INPO Emergency Response Review Visits (ERRVs) and training of Operations and emergency responders. USA fleet member plants were among the first in the industry to successfully and completely implement these actions.

Within USA, DC Cook Unit 1 was one of the first plants to be able to declare themselves FLEX compliant. Fermi, Salem 1 and Cook 1 and 2 all installed and commissioned guided wave radar Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation. Successful NRC audits of the wide spectra of Fukushima related NRC orders and industry commitments was completed at Monticello, Salem, Cook and Susquehanna. Susquehanna was especially successful and it had zero open items at the conclusions of the NRC audit.

The U.S. nuclear industry’s ability to respond to a beyond design bases external event was also heightened with the commissioning of the SAFER National Response Centers in Phoenix and Memphis. These facilities have the ability to deliver equipment which can back up plant installed equipment and stages backup equipment (pumps, generators, etc.) along with trained personnel, within 24 hours of being requested by any nuclear plant. This equipment can be delivered over land or air dependent on the event and the condition of roadways.

In addition, USA Fukushima Peer Team activities during 2014 included performing Fukushima surveillance at all USA fleet sites. The results of these surveillances allowed some sites to adjust their Fukushima site plans including schedules, project management tools, site department engagement, integrated training plans, and/or leadership oversight.

USA Fukushima Project Director Randy Ebright noted that, “This was a great example of collaborative support; sites were able to benchmark as well as conduct a rigorous peer review. The insights and conclusions from these surveillances helped our stations validate that their plans and actions would satisfy the full suite of Fukushima requirements.”

Ebright added,” During the spring and fall of 2015, the majority of the USA fleet will complete their respective site actions to be able to declare their sites ‘Flex Compliance’. As part of NRC orders, this is required to be completed, along with Spent Fuel Pool level instrumentation installation, prior to plant restart from their refueling outages.”

The USA Fukushima team is continuing their strong sharing as a team. There is regular sharing of work products, plans, procedures and Operating Experience. For plants having an NRC Flex audit in 2015, USA peers are supporting readiness reviews.

There is a large scope of actions beyond 2015 which includes disposition of Flooding and Seismic studies. This may include conducting Seismic Probabilistic Risk Analysis and dispositioning of flooding / dam failure studies currently being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The NRC commissioners will also vote this year and drive industry actions related to the tier 2 and 3 actions from the Fukushima Near Term Task Force. Changes to drill and exercise programs and transferring ownership and sustainability actions from the site Fukushima Teams to the line departments will also need to occur. The USA Fukushima Peer Team will continue to monitor industry actions, regulatory directions and fleet/industry OE and ensure that all the USA sites are successful in implementing actions to ensure that our sites are prepared to respond to a beyond design bases external event should one ever occur.