“As far as a root cause analysis, we’ve done the analyses that show the plants are safe,” Nappi says. “By insisting that Indian Point 2 replace its bolts prior to analyzing the ultimate root cause of the bolt failures and by allowing Indian Point 3 to allow operating speaks to a failed safety culture within Entergy,” Gundersen says. He says in addition to three onsite NRC resident inspectors, three NRC specialist inspectors are at Indian Point this week investigating the baffle bolt issue. “We will form a panel that will carefully assess the issues and determine whether or not this requires immediate action or whether this is something that we can take some additional time to look at,” says Sheehan. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan is says the Commission has not seen the petition but will review it. “Replacing the damaged bolts prior to an ultimate root cause analysis may put significant stress on the reactor causing a meltdown in the future,” says Gundersen. Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates in Burlington, Vermont, is a nuclear engineer and former nuclear industry executive. Baffle bolts hold in place baffle plates, which channel cooling water to the reactor core. It found degradation involving about 227 of these bolts, which amount to some 25 percent, the highest percentage ever found at a U.S. “We asked the Commission to issue an additional emergency order to prevent the continued operation of Unit 3 until it has been inspected, the root cause of any degradation is determined, and the NRC is satisfied the unit is safe to operate,” Ayres says.Įntergy undertook inspections that uncovered the baffle bolt issue during a planned refueling and maintenance outage at Unit 2 in March. Ayres says the petition has a second request. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has requested the same. The petition asks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue an emergency order preventing Indian Point parent Entergy from restarting Unit 2 until the NRC is satisfied that it knows the root cause of a bolt failure. It wants a federal regulator to step in to keep one of the reactors shut down.Įnvironmental attorney Richard Ayres of Ayres Law Group filed the petition on behalf of Washington, D.C.-headquartered Friends of the Earth. An environmental group filed an emergency petition concerning the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County Tuesday.
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