NEI Nuclear Notes

Yesterday, Jeff Donn of the Associated Press (AP) published a story on safety inspections at nuclear power plants that seemed to raise more questions than it answered. Here's the introductory paragraph: The number of safety violations at U.S. nuclear power plants varies dramatically from region to region, pointing to inconsistent enforcement in an industry now operating mostly beyond its original 40-year licenses, according to a congressional study awaiting release. Here are a few items to keep in mind when considering this story and its conclusions: NRC inspections and industry trends show industry safety performance is high. The most recent report from NRC identified no significant adverse trends in safety . NRC conducts an average of more than 2,000 hours of inspections a year at each reactor. NRC will increase the number of inspections if recurring issues are identified, and NRC always has option to close a plant if an inspector deems it doesn't meet Federal s...