Regulators Bear Down On Ft. Calhoun Nuke Plant
Jan 10, 2012 3:01:49 GMT -5
Post by PrisonerOfHope on Jan 10, 2012 3:01:49 GMT -5
Remember the problems in Omaha? They're no longer mentioned in the news, but they're certainly still there!
Regulators bear down on nuke plant
By Nancy Gaarder
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
« Metro/Region
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Ft. Calhoun nuclear reactor
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Because problems continue to emerge, federal regulators again are increasing their level of oversight at the troubled Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station.
On Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified the Omaha Public Power District that it is creating a special panel of inspectors to oversee improvements and repairs at the reactor.
And the NRC is adding teeth to its authority over when the reactor can restart, said Lara Uselding, commission spokeswoman.
"We'll be watching the plant even more closely," she said, which includes more inspectors, inspections and restrictions.
The reactor, about 20 miles north of Omaha, has been shut down since April 9, when it was taken off line for routine maintenance. What essentially was a planned two-month outage is heading toward its ninth month as a result of this summer's flooding along the Missouri River.
Officials from OPPD stress that the plant has been and remains safe. Problems identified by federal regulators have been incorporated into OPPD's improvement plans, according to a statement issued Tuesday.
"OPPD has and will continue to aggressively and thoroughly address these issues until they are resolved," said Gary Gates, OPPD's president and chief executive officer. "We are committed to returning Fort Calhoun Station to its normal, high-performing plant status as soon as possible."
After extraordinary snowpack and spring rains in the upper Missouri River basin, water surrounded OPPD's buildings at Fort Calhoun, but the fuel was in no danger, officials have said.
However, one of the things that has troubled federal regulators was an electrical fire in an important safety system at the start of the flooding.
The June fire's cause isn't fully known, Uselding said. The general consensus has been that it was unrelated to the flooding.
But what the NRC does know about the fire has added to its concerns with OPPD, she said. The agency believes improper design of a relatively new breaker system contributed to the fire. Additionally, when an emergency occurs at a nuclear reactor, utility officials have 15 minutes to notify local and state authorities. That didn't happen, Uselding said.
Even before Tuesday's decision, Fort Calhoun had the worst grade a reactor can have and still operate. It is one of two plants in the nation with the second-lowest of five grades the NRC assigns.
Because of the additional problems that surfaced this summer, the NRC is moving Fort Calhoun into a different type of oversight, Uselding said. Doing so further assures adequate protection of public health and safety, according to the NRC.
Other reactors have been placed in this outside-the-norm review process, Uselding said. Some have taken years to get back on line, but Uselding said that won't necessarily be the case for Fort Calhoun. The NRC, however, will not estimate a time for the plant to resume operations, she said.
Dave Bannister, vice president and chief nuclear officer at OPPD, told the utility's board on Tuesday that he expects the plant to restart in the "second quarter," which is April through June. He is hopeful it can start earlier.
Both Bannister and Uselding said the plant would not start up until it is can be safely operated.
Prior to Tuesday's NRC announcement, OPPD could have restarted the reactor once it completed the NRC's required checklist of repairs and improvements, Uselding said. With Tuesday's decision, the NRC now controls when the plant starts.
Every month the reactor is off line costs ratepayers additional money beyond repairs. Fort Calhoun provides about 25 percent of the electricity OPPD generates. With that gone, the utility has to turn to costlier sources.
Edward Easterlin, OPPD's vice president and chief financial officer, told the board his staff still is calculating the financial impact of moving back the start date for the nuclear power plant.
According to OPPD's monthly financial report, the utility spent $3.8 million in November replacing electricity that would have been generated by Fort Calhoun. For the year to date, that total is $32 million.
In general, restart dates for power plants tend to be closely guarded, because the information can cost a utility millions of dollars on the energy market.
Overall, OPPD estimates that it has spent $75.9 million on its flood fight. Federal disaster aid and private insurance should cover a significant share. But the federal government already has turned down OPPD's request that federal aid subsidize some of the costs of replacing Fort Calhoun's nuclear power. As a result, ratepayers are expected to pay more starting next year.
On Thursday, the OPPD board is scheduled to vote on a proposed rate increase of 5.9 percent. The final opportunity for public comment will be during the 10 a.m. meeting at OPPD's downtown headquarters, 444 S. 16th St.
Under the proposal, the average residential customer's bill would rise to $94.85 per month, up $5.30 from $89.54.
OPPD, with a budget of about $1.1 billion, provides electricity to 360,000 customers.
www.omaha.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/712149900
Regulators bear down on nuke plant
By Nancy Gaarder
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
« Metro/Region
Share
Related News
Many factors drive OPPD rate hike
Terry bill would limit nuke chief
Scientist: Ft. Calhoun panel will help
OPPD rates to rise 5.9 percent
Spring start date for nuke plant
Troubled nuke plant refocuses
OPPD flood costs at $57 million
June fire at nuke plant probed
Nuclear plant's external alerts OK
Related Links
Ft. Calhoun nuclear reactor
Advertisement
Because problems continue to emerge, federal regulators again are increasing their level of oversight at the troubled Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station.
On Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified the Omaha Public Power District that it is creating a special panel of inspectors to oversee improvements and repairs at the reactor.
And the NRC is adding teeth to its authority over when the reactor can restart, said Lara Uselding, commission spokeswoman.
"We'll be watching the plant even more closely," she said, which includes more inspectors, inspections and restrictions.
The reactor, about 20 miles north of Omaha, has been shut down since April 9, when it was taken off line for routine maintenance. What essentially was a planned two-month outage is heading toward its ninth month as a result of this summer's flooding along the Missouri River.
Officials from OPPD stress that the plant has been and remains safe. Problems identified by federal regulators have been incorporated into OPPD's improvement plans, according to a statement issued Tuesday.
"OPPD has and will continue to aggressively and thoroughly address these issues until they are resolved," said Gary Gates, OPPD's president and chief executive officer. "We are committed to returning Fort Calhoun Station to its normal, high-performing plant status as soon as possible."
After extraordinary snowpack and spring rains in the upper Missouri River basin, water surrounded OPPD's buildings at Fort Calhoun, but the fuel was in no danger, officials have said.
However, one of the things that has troubled federal regulators was an electrical fire in an important safety system at the start of the flooding.
The June fire's cause isn't fully known, Uselding said. The general consensus has been that it was unrelated to the flooding.
But what the NRC does know about the fire has added to its concerns with OPPD, she said. The agency believes improper design of a relatively new breaker system contributed to the fire. Additionally, when an emergency occurs at a nuclear reactor, utility officials have 15 minutes to notify local and state authorities. That didn't happen, Uselding said.
Even before Tuesday's decision, Fort Calhoun had the worst grade a reactor can have and still operate. It is one of two plants in the nation with the second-lowest of five grades the NRC assigns.
Because of the additional problems that surfaced this summer, the NRC is moving Fort Calhoun into a different type of oversight, Uselding said. Doing so further assures adequate protection of public health and safety, according to the NRC.
Other reactors have been placed in this outside-the-norm review process, Uselding said. Some have taken years to get back on line, but Uselding said that won't necessarily be the case for Fort Calhoun. The NRC, however, will not estimate a time for the plant to resume operations, she said.
Dave Bannister, vice president and chief nuclear officer at OPPD, told the utility's board on Tuesday that he expects the plant to restart in the "second quarter," which is April through June. He is hopeful it can start earlier.
Both Bannister and Uselding said the plant would not start up until it is can be safely operated.
Prior to Tuesday's NRC announcement, OPPD could have restarted the reactor once it completed the NRC's required checklist of repairs and improvements, Uselding said. With Tuesday's decision, the NRC now controls when the plant starts.
Every month the reactor is off line costs ratepayers additional money beyond repairs. Fort Calhoun provides about 25 percent of the electricity OPPD generates. With that gone, the utility has to turn to costlier sources.
Edward Easterlin, OPPD's vice president and chief financial officer, told the board his staff still is calculating the financial impact of moving back the start date for the nuclear power plant.
According to OPPD's monthly financial report, the utility spent $3.8 million in November replacing electricity that would have been generated by Fort Calhoun. For the year to date, that total is $32 million.
In general, restart dates for power plants tend to be closely guarded, because the information can cost a utility millions of dollars on the energy market.
Overall, OPPD estimates that it has spent $75.9 million on its flood fight. Federal disaster aid and private insurance should cover a significant share. But the federal government already has turned down OPPD's request that federal aid subsidize some of the costs of replacing Fort Calhoun's nuclear power. As a result, ratepayers are expected to pay more starting next year.
On Thursday, the OPPD board is scheduled to vote on a proposed rate increase of 5.9 percent. The final opportunity for public comment will be during the 10 a.m. meeting at OPPD's downtown headquarters, 444 S. 16th St.
Under the proposal, the average residential customer's bill would rise to $94.85 per month, up $5.30 from $89.54.
OPPD, with a budget of about $1.1 billion, provides electricity to 360,000 customers.
www.omaha.com/article/20111214/NEWS01/712149900