The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is not considering any further corrective measures at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, despite growing calls to shutter the Massachusetts plant following its latest unplanned shutdown.
Plant operator Entergy shut the reactor down last week after a malfunction in which excessive water levels were recorded in the plant’s reactor vessel. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said Monday the company has since completed repairs to two feedwater regulating valves, while also replacing the stem to the valve that caused the outage. Entergy is “very close” to restarting the reactor, Sheehan said.
“We don’t need to change our inspection posture in this case,” Sheehan said over the phone Monday. “We didn’t find any complications that would lead to (further action). We understand that (residents) have continued concerns about the plant’s performance, and we share many of those concerns, which is why the plant is getting this increased scrutiny from NRC.”
Pilgrim is currently listed in column 4 of the NRC Action Matrix, the lowest safety rating a plant can have while remaining in operation, meaning the facility is under the highest NRC oversight possible for an active reactor. The NRC in September 2015 downgraded the plant’s safety rating to its current column, following a series of unplanned shutdowns and safety relief valve issues.
Sheehan said the NRC has heard the continued calls from environmentalists and residents who want the plant to shut down as soon as possible. Entergy plans to close Pilgrim in May 2019.
“It’s just another example of lack of oversight by the NRC and lack of any kind of regard for the residents and the environment by the Entergy Corp.,” Janet Azarovitz, of the Pilgrim Legislative Advisory Coalition, said in a telephone interview Monday. The coalition is a group of activists from Cape Cod that has been working with state legislators, incluidng Sen. Daniel Wolf, to increase Massachusetts’ involvment at the plant as it prepares for decommissioning.
Entergy could not be reached for comment.
