The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee is currently holding a meeting this morning that started at 10 AM EDT and can be watched online here. NEI’s Chief Nuclear Officer, Tony Pietrangelo, is on a panel as well as Peter Lyons from the Department of Energy, Bill Borchardt from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and David Lochbaum from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Should be a good discussion.
Below is from our rapid response team . Yesterday, regional anti-nuclear organizations asked federal nuclear energy regulators to launch an investigation into what it claims are “newly identified flaws” in Westinghouse’s advanced reactor design, the AP1000. During a teleconference releasing a report on the subject, participants urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend license reviews of proposed AP1000 reactors. In its news release, even the groups making these allegations provide conflicting information on its findings. In one instance, the groups cite “dozens of corrosion holes” at reactor vessels and in another says that eight holes have been documented. In all cases, there is another containment mechanism that would provide a barrier to radiation release. Below, we examine why these claims are unwarranted and why the AP1000 design certification process should continue as designated by the NRC. Myth: In the AP1000 reactor design, the gap between the shield bu...
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