NRC: News Release - Region II - 2005-038 - NRC to Conduct Special Inspection at Oconee Nuclear Power Plant


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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II
61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
www.nrc.gov

No. II-05-038		September 2, 2005
CONTACT:	Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417	E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov
NRC TO CONDUCT SPECIAL INSPECTION AT OCONEE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will begin a special inspection September 6 that will look into an August 31st unplanned shutdown of Duke Energy’s Oconee Unit 3 nuclear power plant, located near Seneca, S.C. The two-person NRC team will look into the circumstances surrounding the event, including the design of some equipment and systems involved, the response of plant employees and the adequacy of plant procedures. During the shutdown, all safety systems performed as required including the start of both Keowee hydro units, and plant operators stabilized the plant quickly. However, the NRC staff determined that the shutdown should be examined more closely with a small team dedicated to that task. The NRC’s resident inspectors at Oconee responded to the shutdown and are continuing to review the event prior to the arrival of the special inspection team. "There were no public health and safety impacts, but we want to make sure we completely understand the sequence of events and whether there are lessons to be learned," said NRC Region II Administrator William Travers. The NRC team’s findings and conclusions will be documented in a report within 30 days after the special inspection is completed. That report will be available from the NRC Region II Office of Public Affairs or by accessing the NRC web-based document system at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.