NRC Conducts Inspection at Pilgrim

The first inspection, termed Phase A, was scheduled to begin Monday. Three inspectors are working to determine whether continued operation at the Plymouth, Mass., power plant is acceptable or whether additional regulatory action is required. The exit meeting for the inspection is set to take place Friday, but that could change, depending on what information inspectors gather, according to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. He said via email that results of the inspection will be released no more than 45 days after the conclusion of the review.

The second inspection, Phase B, is scheduled for April 4 and will look at overall corrective measures and implementation since problems were identified in August. Following that inspection, the NRC classified the plant as “white,” which means “low to moderate safety significance,” stemming from the safety relief valve concerns. This designation resulted in Pilgrim moving to Column 4 of the agency’s Action Matrix, which classifies the level of oversight at plants.

“Even though Entergy has announced that Pilgrim will be shutting down no later than June 2019, the NRC remains committed to our safety oversight, with these inspections helping to inform our determinations,” Sheehan wrote in a blog post Monday.

Results from Phases A and B will determine the scope of Phase C, which has yet to be scheduled.