Fermi: Massive Failure Of The Behavioral Observation Program

You notice it does specify when this event began. I hope they kicked the offending executive off the site. This is a falsification of a document, but the NRC never takes falsification seriously.  

Power Reactor	Event Number: 53830
Facility: FERMI Region: 3     State: MI Unit: [2] [] [] RX Type: [2] GE-4 NRC Notified By: JEFF MEYERS HQ OPS Officer: THOMAS KENDZIA	Notification Date: 01/16/2019 Notification Time: 18:38 [ET] Event Date: 01/16/2019 Event Time: 00:00 [EST] Last Update Date: 01/16/2019
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 26.719 - FITNESS FOR DUTY	Person (Organization): PATRICIA PELKE (R3DO) FFD GROUP (EMAIL) WILLIAM GOTT (IRD)

Unit

SCRAM Code

RX Crit

Initial PWR

Initial RX Mode

Current PWR

Current RX Mode

2

N

Y

100

Power Operation

100

Power Operation

Event Text

SIGNIFICANT FITNESS-FOR-DUTY POLICY VIOLATION "At 0900 EST on 01/16/2019, it was discovered that a licensee manager intentionally failed to re-approve the list of individuals granted unescorted access to verify each individual was subject to a behavioral observation program. Compensatory actions have been taken in response to this event. Personnel affected have had their access authorization suspended. "This is reportable under the provisions of 10 CFR 26.719(b)(3) as an intentional act that casts doubt on the integrity of the Fitness-For-Duty program. "The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector."

Hope Creek's Resident Staffing: What Does This Mean?

Update Jan 24

Here the NRC's response to the licensee. Why can't the NRC specially disclose if they got too many inspectors or not enough?  


***What does this mean? N+1 means Hope Needs three inspectors. A single plant is required to have two residents. Really this troubled plants need six inspectors.

Either Hope is requesting the NRC to reduce their NRC's resident staffing to three inspectors (four or more inspectors on site now) or they want more inspectors (only one or two residents inspector on site now) on site? 

The letter from Hope hasn't reached the NRC's Adams yet?  

January 16, 2019

SUBJECT: RESIDENT INSPECTOR STAFFING AT SALEM AND HOPE CREEK GENERATING STATIONS

Dear Mr. Sena:

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of PSEG’s letter (LR-N18-0122) dated December 4, 2018, regarding resident inspector staffing at Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations.  Your letter has been added to the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) for the information of the public, and may be found under ADAMS Accession Number ML18340A0241.  

By the December 4, 2018, letter, PSEG Nuclear, LLC (PSEG) requested that the NRC review the current resident inspector staffing at the Salem and Hope Creek Generating Stations with respect to the policy described in SECY-99-227, “N+1 Resident Inspector Staffing Policy,” and align it with the level described in the policy for a multi-unit site consisting of three units.  The NRC intends to review PSEG’s request while considering applicable agency policy including, but not limited to, Inspection Manual Chapter 2515.09 through 2515.11 and provide you a letter documenting the basis for any decision.  Our goal is to complete this review within 90 days.

In accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 2.390 of the NRC’s “Rules of Practice,” a copy of this letter, its enclosure, and your response (if any) will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC’s Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of ADAMS.  ADAMS is accessible from the NRC’s website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html (the Public Electronic Reading Room).

 

Why No Recent Speeches and Reports From The NRC Commissioners and Chair On Issues Facing The Industry Since 2016?

Update

President Trump gained the presidency November 8, 2016

The Honorable Kristine Svinicki was designated Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Donald J. Trump on January 23, 2017. 

***Since the libertarian and republicans government hating utilities installed NRC Chainman Svinicki to her position, there are no more direct communications to the public by the commissioners. Is it managing the NRC in a dark closet with no light. Typical these speeches or reports from the commissioners was about pressing issues in the industry. An explanation of the NRC issues or report to the public by the political NRC commissioners and chair. 

This is just an example of massively increasing non transparency with the agency.  

This is the last one!!!!

"The NRC’s Post-Fukushima Actions as a Case Study for Regulatory Decision-Making Remarks of NRC Commissioner William C. Ostendorff 2016 Regulatory Information" Conference  March 8, 2016    

Dog Plant Palisades Trips Upon Startup

I am sure this is about a dead ender closing plant, employees issues, poor maintenance and grossly inadequate funding. We are in a aging plant crisis. This guy was suppose to be closed already, but it had a stay of execution. The stay of execution makes this plant stand out from all the other plants. 

53819

Power Reactor	Event Number: 53819
Facility: PALISADES Region: 3     State: MI Unit: [1] [] [] RX Type: [1] CE NRC Notified By: DAN GEERLINGS HQ OPS Officer: KARL DIEDERICH	Notification Date: 01/09/2019 Notification Time: 13:23 [ET] Event Date: 01/09/2019 Event Time: 00:00 [EST] Last Update Date: 01/09/2019
Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) - RPS ACTUATION - CRITICAL 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) - VALID SPECIF SYS ACTUATION	Person (Organization): DAVID HILLS (R3DO)

Unit

SCRAM Code

RX Crit

Initial PWR

Initial RX Mode

Current PWR

Current RX Mode

1

A/R

Y

100

Power Operation

0

Hot Standby

Event Text

REACTOR TRIP FROM FULL POWER DUE TO RPS TESTING "At 1034 EST on January 9, 2019, with the reactor at 100% power, an automatic reactor trip was initiated. The trip occurred while Reactor Protection System testing was in progress. The trip was uncomplicated with all systems responding normally following the rip. Troubleshooting and investigation of the cause is ongoing. "All full-length control rods inserted fully. Auxiliary Feedwater System actuated as designed in response to low steam generator water levels. Operations stabilized the plant in Mode 3 (hot standby). Decay heat is being removed by the turbine bypass valve. "This condition has no impact to the health and safety of the public." The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

“There’s going to be an accident,” he said. “The only question is when and where.”

Sun editorial: 

Former NRC chairman remains clearly opposed to nuclear energy
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 | 2 a.m.

In a perfect world, nuclear energy would be a perfect tool for combating climate change. Nuclear power plants don’t burn fossil fuels, don’t emit greenhouse gases into the environment and don’t speed global warming.

But with the Union of Concerned Scientists and other groups reversing their former opposition to nuclear energy, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko is going on the offensive to explain why nuclear energy is nowhere near a perfect solution to the climate crisis.

In a new book, Jaczko reiterates his longstanding criticism of the nuclear industry and his opposition to development of traditional nuclear power plants, which he says are unsafe despite technological improvements designed to make them safer.

Exhibit No. 1 in Jaczko’s argument is the Fukushima disaster. While Japan and other countries used nuclear power to limit their carbon emissions, he contends that the catastrophe at Fukushima wiped out environmental gains that Japan made by burning less fossil fuels.

“What happens after Fukushima is they shut down all of their nuclear plants over time,” Jaczko said during a phone interview with the Sun. “So then what did they do? They had to turn to polluting fossil fuels. So you wind up with this solution where it’s kind of boom or bust: You’ve got nuclear power, but once you turn it off then now what do we do? Well, we have to turn to dirty fossil fuels.”

Jaczko said the fundamental problems with development of nuclear energy included that the basic design of plants hadn’t changed and that the industry wouldn’t pay for technological improvements that would reduce the damage from accidents.

A case in point involves eliminating the kind of hydrogen gas blasts that many people likely remember seeing in footage from the Fukushima disaster.

The gas builds up when steam inside the reactor interacts with one of the metals used to contain nuclear fuel. Jaczko said new container materials have been developed that would limit the gas buildup, but the industry hasn’t adopted them because they’re prohibitively expensive.

Meanwhile, he says, the cost of generating electricity through natural gas and renewables is lower in most parts of the country than nuclear generation. Although nuclear proponents point out that renewables can’t provide continual power — turbines don’t generate when the wind doesn’t blow and solar panels don’t generate when the sun isn’t shining — Jaczko calls that argument a red herring. He points to innovations that are making power storage more affordable — not just advancements in battery design but such methods as pumped-storage hydroelectricity, in which water is pumped to a higher elevation during overnight hours when electricity demand is low and then is released to operate turbines during peak hours.

“So to me, the idea that somehow we’re going to preserve these reactors and that’s a climate solution is just wrong,” he said.

Then, of course, there’s the issue with nuclear waste — a hazard we’re familiar with in Southern Nevada. Jaczko, whose concerns about the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository were a leading reason he was hand-picked for the commission by former Sen. Harry Reid, hasn’t grown any fonder of the waste facility since he left the commission. He continues to be alarmed about the long-term safety of the site and the prospect of transporting high-level waste from across the country to Nevada.

Jaczko’s bottom-line assessment is that despite decades of development, nuclear energy remains too hazardous and costly to be a viable source of power.

“There’s going to be an accident,” he said. “The only question is when and where.”

It’s a compelling argument, and anyone who may be warming to nuclear energy in the fight to reverse climate change should examine it. The book, “Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator,” is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other outlets.

NRC: Controlling Bad Behavior On Plant Employees Through One Papercut After Another

It snowing outside my house. Entergy has more Confirmatory Orders than all the snowflakes on the roof of my house. Entergy has more orders than anyone else in the industry. Basically obsolete equipment and not enough funding to keep all their obsolete plants in good order. Sickening and repetitive fleet wide training on ethics, tell the full truth and don't falsify documents. Well, unless it facilitates high capacity factors and make the corporate more profits. A absolution system without doing the hard work to eradicate corruption...    

Subject: Entergy Response to Confirmatory Order EA-17-132/EA-17-153, Element K

Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 & 2 Docket Nos. 50-313 & 50-368 License Nos. DPR-51 & NPF-6

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Unit 1 Docket No. 50-416 License No. NPF-29

River Bend Station, Unit 1 Docket No. 50-458 License No. NPF-47

Waterford 3 Steam Electric Station Docket No. 50-382 License No. NPF-38

Indian Point Energy Center, Units 2 & 3 Docket Nos. 50- 247 & 50-286 License Nos. DPR- 26 & DPR-64

Palisades Nuclear Plant Docket 50-255 License No. DPR-20

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Docket No. 50-293 Renewed License No. DPR-35

References: 1) U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRG) letter to Entergy (Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. and Entergy Operations, Inc.), "Confirmatory Order, NRG Inspection Report 05000416/2017014, and NRG Investigation Reports 4-2016-004 and 4-2017-021," dated March 12, 2018

2) Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. and Entergy Operations, Inc. letter to the NRG, "Entergy Response to Confirmatory Order EA-17-132/EA-17-153, Element J," CNR0-2018-00039, dated September 27, 2018

Communications with Site Workers

Between March 3, 2018 and April 11, 2018, communications about integrity were shared from the Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) and senior site leaders with Entergy employees and contractors. The tool "Nuclear Talk" was used to share the message. A video with the CNO about integrity was also distributed across the fleet. These messages communicated with workers the circumstances leading to this Confirmatory Order, that willful violations will not be tolerated, and, as a result, Entergy will be undertaking efforts to confirm whether others are engaging in such conduct at any of its sites. The communications stressed the importance of procedural adherence, ensuring that documents are complete and accurate, and of potential consequences for engaging in willful violations. The messages were balanced with the recognition that people do make mistakes and when that happens, it is Entergy's expectation that its employees and contractors will identify and document issues accordingly.

Between September 21, 2018 and October 1 O, 2018, Entergy conducted the first semi-annual communications with workers in the Entergy fleet reemphasizing its intolerance of willful misconduct and updating the workforce on the status of compliance with this Confirmatory Order...

Wasterford: Another Entergy's Dog Plant Trip or Manual Shutdown

I don't yet know why they shut down. It occurred on Jan 5. I hope River Bend being at 90% is just shaping the core. Grand Gulf, it is now your turn. It seems they got junk plant Palisades and Pilgrim turned around pretty quick.   

Unit	Power
Arkansas Nuclear 1	100
Arkansas Nuclear 2	100
Callaway	100
Columbia Generating Station	100
Comanche Peak 1	100
Comanche Peak 2	0
Cooper	100
Diablo Canyon 1	100
Diablo Canyon 2	100
Grand Gulf 1	100
Palo Verde 1	100
Palo Verde 2	100
Palo Verde 3	100
River Bend 1	90
South Texas 1	100
South Texas 2	100
Waterford 3	0
Wolf Creek 1	100

NRC's Staff In Trouble

We are a week into 2019 and the NRC hasn't put a 2019 link into this important page yet. Waterford tripped, probably shutdown over the weekend. I can't click the 2019 link in order to reference back a few days, to figure out when Waterford tripped?

Power Reactor Status Reports

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