Reactor Licensing & Regulation

U.S. Eighty-four of the 99 Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed nuclear plants are now in compliance with new emergency response safety equipment orders the agency has implemented through its Fukushima Lessons Learned initiative, according to NRC spokesman Scott Burnell. Compliance is up from 70 percent in September, when the agency explained in documents that it anticipated the […]

Following the leak of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission email disclosing troubling inspection findings at the downgraded Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, Massachusetts leaders are demanding a public meeting with the regulator to discuss safety at the plant. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, the state’s two senators and nine representatives, and a long list of local lawmakers penned a […]

After holding a number of protests outside the Massachusetts State House demanding the immediate shutdown of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, demonstrators on Monday will take their case to the plant itself. Cape Downwinders, a group of residents from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, have repeatedly called on state officials to demand that the Nuclear Regulatory […]

Eighty-four of the 99 Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed nuclear plants are now in compliance with new emergency response safety equipment orders the agency has implemented through its Fukushima Lessons Learned initiative, according to NRC spokesman Scott Burnell. Compliance is up from 70 percent in September, when the agency explained in documents that it anticipated the American nuclear fleet […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Dec. 29 issued a white inspection finding at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, confirming that operator Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) failed to “adequately maintain the (plant’s) emergency core cooling system.” Located about 12 miles southwest of San Luis Obispo, Diablo Canyon is the last operating nuclear plant in California […]

Massachusetts residents are again asking state officials to support calls for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to order that the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station cease operations, following the recent leak of an agency email disclosing candid details of an ongoing inspection at the plant. Cape Downwinders, a group of residents from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, […]

Two antinuclear groups this week continued to call for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing concerning power company Entergy’s request for additional time to comply with post-Fukushima safety equipment updates at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York. The NRC ordered a series of design improvements for American nuclear reactors following the 2011 […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating an incident in which a low-level radioactive waste shipment from the Columbia Generating Station in Washington state to a nearby disposal facility was rejected due to under-reported radiation levels. The NRC said Monday that workers at the nuclear power plant on Nov. 9 shipped a single package of contaminated […]

U.S. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recorded zero major security incidents and 29 minor security incidents in fiscal 2016, according to a recent agency report to the White House Office of Management and Budget. NRC Chairman Stephen Burns detailed the findings in a Dec. 1 letter to OMB Director Shaun Donovan, which was released publicly last […]

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission employee last week inadvertently forwarded a staff email to a watchdog group detailing candid observations from an ongoing inspection at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, fueling calls for the beleaguered plant to be shut down. The NRC is conducting its third and final increased oversight inspection at the plant, which in […]

Two antinuclear groups this week continued to call for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing concerning Entergy’s request for additional time to comply with post-Fukushima safety equipment updates at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York. The NRC ordered a series of design improvements for American nuclear reactors following the 2011 triple meltdown […]

Public Citizen said Monday it will ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a rehearing on its decision last week to approve the $110 million sale of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York from Entergy to Exelon. Public Citizen in October asked FERC to reject the application for the sale, claiming […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating an incident in which a recent low-level radioactive waste shipment from the Columbia Generating Station in Washington state to a nearby disposal facility was rejected due to under-reported radiation levels. The NRC said Monday that workers at the nuclear power plant on Nov. 9 shipped a single package of contaminated filters to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recorded zero major security incidents and 29 minor security incidents in fiscal 2016, according to a recent agency report to the Office of Management and Budget. NRC Chairman Stephen Burns detailed the findings in a Dec. 1 letter to OMB Director Shaun Donovan, which was released publicly last week. According to the […]

A senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission official discussed Wednesday the caution the agency takes to avoid colluding with the nuclear industry and to instead collaborate on regulatory issues. This has been a topic of conversation since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. A year after a 9.0 earthquake triggered a 15-meter tsunami and triple meltdown […]

Entergy has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that 885 spent fuel panels at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Massachusetts are susceptible to degradation that could challenge their effectiveness by September 2017. The panels act as neutron absorbers. A decline in their effective use increases the possibility of fissioning reactions in spent fuel pools, which […]

A senior Nuclear Regulatory Commission official discussed Wednesday the caution the agency takes to avoid colluding with the nuclear industry and to instead collaborate on regulatory issues. It’s been a topic of conversation ever since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. A year after a 9.0 earthquake triggered a 15-meter tsunami and triple meltdown […]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff on Monday recommended the agency deny two antinuclear groups’ request for a hearing concerning Entergy’s request to extend compliance deadlines for post-Fukushima safety upgrades at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in upstate New York. Beyond Nuclear and the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) in a Nov. 10 filing […]

A story in the Dec. 5 edition of Weapons Complex Morning Briefing incorrectly reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission dismissed petition requests concerning a deadline extension request for post-Fukushima safety measures at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. The dismissal was tied to separate but related NRC proceedings.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved two of Entergy’s requests for additional time to comply with post-Fukushima safety equipment updates at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York state. The NRC ordered a series of design improvements for American nuclear reactors following the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant […]

Editor’s note: This article has been modified from its original version.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Petition Review Board on Friday announced the decision to dismiss portions of a petition tied to containment vent modifications at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. The NRC required that American nuclear plant operators implement a series of design […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is requesting additional information from Holtec International concerning its January license amendment request for the HI-STORM 100 nuclear waste storage system, which is intended to update the system’s manufacturing and site loading process. HI-STORM 100 is a dry-cask storage system for spent light-water reactor fuel. According to Holtec, at least 80 systems […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday began its third and final increased oversight inspection at the troubled Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts. Agency managers leading the inspection spoke Monday during a conference call with reporters, saying there are no immediate safety concerns at the plant, but that the team of about 20 NRC officials will conduct […]

Conservationists and residents on Monday continued calling on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to shut down the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, with another rally outside the Massachusetts State House. Cape Downwinders — a collection of residents from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket – again asked that Gov. Charlie Baker (R) support closing the 44-year-old Plymouth facility, which […]

Pre-registration for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) will begin in early January 2017. The RIC is the agency’s annual conference for updating the public and stakeholders on NRC activities and programs. The event is scheduled for March 14-16 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, located just off of Rockville Pike, […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission met its strategic goals and objectives for safety and security in fiscal 2016, according to an agency report released Friday. The NRC “improved its operations by investing in its skilled workforce of engineers and scientists,” the report says. “The agency is also in a sound financial position, having sufficient funds to […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified four “very low safety significance” findings at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during its third-quarter inspection in September, which was released publicly Monday. The green inspection findings were added to a long list of complications at the beleaguered 44-year-old Massachusetts plant. The NRC in 2015 downgraded Pilgrim to Column 4 […]

Two antinuclear groups have asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deny power provider Entergy’s request to relax post-Fukushima safety rules at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York. The NRC implemented a series of design improvements for American nuclear reactors following the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant […]

An article in Monday’s Weapons Complex Morning Briefing should have said that the Fukushima subcommittee of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards will meet on Wednesday of this week.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission identified four “very low safety significance” findings at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during its third-quarter inspection in September, which was released publicly Monday. The green inspection findings were added to a long list of complications at the beleaguered 44-year-old Massachusetts plant. The NRC in 2015 downgraded Pilgrim to Column 4 […]