Safety Problems at Southern Nuclear Plants Farley and Hatch

Not as obvious as Entergy’s Indian Point fire, Southern Nuclear’s Farley 1 on the Chattahoochee River is down and Hatch 1 and 2 on the Altamaha River have ongoing fire safety problems.

600x345 Southern Nuclear Farley and Hatch Problems, in Nukes Low and Down, by John S. Quarterman, 8 May 2015

NRC Current Event Notification Report for May 8, 2015 says about Farley 1, near Dothan Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, about 125 miles from here:

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION SHUTDOWN DUE TO REACTOR COOLANT PUMP TRIP

“This notification is being made as required by 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(i) due to a Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 1 shutdown required by Technical Specifications.

“At 0509 CDT on 5/7/2015, 1B Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) tripped during transfer of 1B 4160V bus to 1B unit auxiliary transformer. Technical Specification LCO 3.4.4 Condition A was entered for loss of a Reactor Coolant System (RCS) loop. Unit 1 reactor was shut down per operating procedures and entered Mode 3 at 0740 CDT.

“The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified.”

But wait, there’s more. Both units 1 and 2 at Plant Hatch near Baxley, GA on the Altamaha River, about 100 miles from here:

THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF EN #50351

* * * UPDATE FROM STEVE BRUNSON TO CHARLES TEAL ON 4/20/15 AT 2126 EDT * * *

“During an expanded scope inspection, deficiencies in the following areas were observed that caused the affected barriers to be considered nonfunctional:

– A gap �” wide, 1″ tall, and 6″ deep was found at penetration 1Z43H594D on the west wall of the U1 East Cableway (separating Fire Area 1104 and Fire Area 1020)

– Near penetration 1Z43J837D, and approximately 12″ south and above 1Z43H837D, gaps were observed in the mortar joint between CMU on the west wall of the U1 East Cableway (separating Fire Area 1104 and Fire Area 1020)

– A triangular gap 1″ wide, 1″ tall and 6″ deep was found at penetration 1Z43H592D on the west wall of the U1 East Cableway (separating Fire Area 1104 and Fire Area 1020)

– A gap 4″ tall and 3″ wide was found behind Turn Box TB1-1272 which covers penetrations 1Z43H590D, 1Z43H589D, 1Z43H588, and 1Z43H587D on the west wall of the U1 East Cableway (separating Fire Area 1104 and Fire Area 1020)

– At the architectural joint between the vertical wall to the horizontal floor/ceiling assembly above door 1C-22, above and to the south of 1Z43H1105D, a gap was observed approximately �” tall, 3″ wide, and 6″ deep on the west wall of the U1 East Cableway Foyer (separating Fire Area 1105 and Fire Area 0014K)

– Gap between the grout and the conduit of penetration 1Z43H778D approximately �” tall x 1.5″ wide x 6″ deep on the east wall of the Unit 1 130′ Elevation Control Building Working Floor Hallway (separating Fire Area 0014K and Fire Area 1105)

“The nonconforming conditions observed for the affected fire penetrations and fire barriers were identified as affecting both safe shutdown paths for Unit 2. Compensatory measures were already in place in accordance with the plant’s Fire Hazard Analysis (FHA) as a result of previous conditions involving degraded barriers in the same fire areas and will remain in place until the fire barriers are repaired. The presence of the compensatory measures in addition to portable fire protection equipment located in adjacent areas ensure the safe shutdown paths are preserved until the degraded conditions are repaired.

That Plant Hatch report goes on for several pages, including this:

“The nonconforming conditions observed for the affected penetration and fire barrier were identified as affecting both safe shutdown paths for Unit 1 and Unit 2. Compensatory measures were already in place in accordance with the plant’s Fire Hazard Analysis (FHA) as a result of previous conditions involving degraded barriers in the same fire areas and will remain in place until the fire barriers are repaired. The presence of the compensatory measures in addition to portable fire protection equipment located in adjacent areas ensures the safe shutdown paths are preserved until the degraded conditions are repaired….”

And how safe was Hatch before the problem was previously discovered and compensatory measures were applied? When will it be repaired? And why should we believe it will really be fixed this time?

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The nuclear age is over. Fossil fuels are going the way of the horse and buggy. Energy storage solutions are lifting the sun even faster on Georgia, the U.S., and the world.

-jsq