The Trojan Nuclear Plant closed its doors in 1993, when Portland General Electric decided not to replace an aging steam generator, which would have cost more than $100 million to repair.īut some say the problem of aging equipment may be overstated. Several of these plants were closed because owners didn't want to pay to repair or replace aging equipment. In the last 15 years, about 22 nuclear reactors have ceased operating, Lochbaum said. But electricity deregulation has forced some nuclear plant owners to cut costs by eliminating safety tests, trimming staff and deferring equipment repairs. Thirty years ago, utilities were quick to fix any problems related to aging, Lochbaum said. Equipment intended to last as long as some plants' 40-year licenses is breaking in areas not anticipated when the plants were built. The meetings will be open to the public, and transcripts will be posted on the NRC's website.ĭavis-Besse is just one of the nuclear power plants built in the 1960s and '70s that are showing signs of wear and tear. On Tuesday, the NRC will meet with FirstEnergy officials to review the status of repairs and results of recent NRC inspections at Davis-Besse. "I don't think it's a problem that relates to aging management," Marion said. Alex Marion, director of engineering for Nuclear Energy Institute, a nuclear industry trade and lobbying group, said if Davis-Besse operators had effectively implemented its aging-management program, they might have caught the boric acid leak sooner. One industry insider says the problem at the Ohio plant stemmed from a human failure rather than a mechanical one. If a reactor leaks, it's time to shut it down."īut others say old equipment shouldn't be blamed for causing the problems at Davis-Besse. "Once these things show this type of aging, it's time for the utilities to retire them. "Given that this technology is an unforgiving technology, we can't take chances," Ryder said. The group is recommending that FirstEnergy convert the plant to a different source of fuel, such as gas or coal, to produce electricity.
Ohio Citizen Action wants to see the reactor shut down for good, Ryder said. Kucinich says that the utility violated NRC rules by ignoring NRC warnings, ignoring its own monitoring systems and hiding information from the regulatory agency. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) recently filed a 29-page petition asking the NRC to revoke FirstEnergy's operating license. "Those are huge holes cut in the safety net," he said. FirstEnergy is spending more than $400 million on repairs. In August, FirstEnergy admitted to NRC investigators that it placed production before public safety by deferring inspections and corrective action programs. "That should have been a sign that something was not right here," Lochbaum said.įirstEnergy ignored photographic evidence documenting rust seeping from the reactor head as early as April 2000, Ryder said. When the leakage began, the filters had to be replaced every day. These filters, which sample the air inside the reactor's containment structure, are normally replaced every two to three months. In 1999, FirstEnergy, the corporation that operates Davis-Besse, found traces of rust particles in the filters of radiation monitors. Between 19, the leakage began causing problems for other equipment. The commission shut down all of these plants for inspection, except Davis-Besse.ĭavis-Besse started leaking boric acid in 1996. In fall 2001, the NRC identified 12 nuclear power plants as being highly susceptible to corrosion or cracking. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates safety at commercial nuclear power plants, should have caught the Davis-Besse problem sooner. "I don't think the technology is worth the risk."Ĭritics say the U.S. "If there's an accident, the damage is irreversible," said Ryder of Ohio Citizen Action.
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