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 in Japan, which occurred after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a 15-meter tsunami.
The agency approved Entergy’s extensions to June 2017 for the following: the requirement to install equipment and strategies to cope with significant earthquakes and other disastrous events; and a requirement to install equipment that enables more informative water-level and temperature readings concerning spent fuel pools.
Two antinuclear groups, Beyond Nuclear and the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), had requested an NRC hearing on the matter and suggested the agency deny Entergy’s schedule relaxation requests. The groups have said the extension requests actually amount to a license amendment request and therefore should be subject to a public hearing in order to protect public safety. Last week, the NRC’s Petition Review Board dismissed those requests, though the decision has not yet been made public.
The agency is still considering Entergy’s request for an extension for installation of a reliable hardened vent for the plant’s wetwell, which is a doughnut-shaped reservoir of water at the base of the reactor containment building. Entergy is asking to move its installation deadline from January 2017 to June 2018.
Entergy’s original deadline to comply with the other two orders was no later than two refueling cycles after the company’s submission of the overall integrated plan, or Dec. 31, 2016, whichever came first.
