Special Rules For Nuclear Plants During the Coronavirus Era

The really is, the grid load is a lot less than normal with the broad national shutdown. We don't need any nukes running at this time because the grid load is so low. It seems some nuclear plants are coronavirus hot spots. A lot of new and emerging issues with the industry, like before we make coronavirus regulations and notifications are made...the NRC will allow some bad plants to operate in a atrocious manner with a lot people out of work. Then a report will get written up or the information will get disclosed to outsiders....that a bad utility is taking a reckless chance. Then the outsiders will be outraged at the NRC. 

Something new like this, they should be writing up detailed reports on on infections, test and anything about carnivorous that effects their plants. Everything associated with overtime. The top manages should be carefully reading everything even the most insignificant events and trends. This kind of "novel" report event would be invaluable for future events.

As always, a bad plants might not have enough employees for no other reason than to save a few pennies to boost profits before this pandemic. It takes a lot of time to train certain employees. So a bad plant might be down a lot employees before virus strikes, then safety really declines for each new sick employee.

NRC to Consider COVID-19 Exemptions for Nuclear Plant Work-Hour Controls

Alternative fatigue-management controls, for example, should ensure employees do not work more than 16 work-hours in any 24-hour period and not more than 86 work-hours in any 7-day period, excluding shift turnover; a minimum 10-hour break is provided between successive work periods; 12 hour shifts are limited to not more than 14 consecutive days; and a minimum of six days off are provided in any 30-day period.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 28 told industry that it is prepared to grant requests from individual nuclear generators for exemptions from work-hour controls specified in its rules to help provide more flexibility to the sector as it grapples with workforce issues related to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The objective of the exemptions from Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR 26.205(d)(1)-(7)) is to ensure that the “control of work hours and management of worker fatigue do not unduly limit licensee flexibility in using personnel resources to most effectively manage the impacts of the COVID-19 [public health emergency (PHE)] on maintaining the safe operation of these facilities,” NRC Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Ho Nieh wrote in letters sent to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Entergy Nuclear, and Florida Power and Light over the weekend.
Nieh wrote that the exemptions will apply narrowly—only to nuclear plants whose staffing levels are affected by the pandemic. Licensees must also show they can no longer meet the work-hour controls outlined in the rules, and they can institute site-specific administrative controls for pandemic fatigue-management for personnel as outlined in the rules....