Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will remain in Column 4 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Action Matrix, the regulator said last week in its annual assessment of the beleaguered plant.
“While the plant remains in Column 4, the NRC will continuously assess Pilgrim’s performance to evaluate the need for additional regulatory action up to and including moving the plant to the Unacceptable Performance Column (Column 5), and issuing a shutdown order,” NRC Region I Administrator Dan Dorman wrote in a letter to Entergy. “To date our inspection and assessment have determined that Pilgrim continues to operate safely, and at this time additional regulatory action beyond Column 4 is not required.”
The 44-year-old Massachusetts facility has experienced a series of operational failures and unplanned shutdowns dating to 2013. The NRC in 2015 downgraded the facility to Category 4, which is the lowest safety rating for an operating nuclear reactor. The NRC is preparing results from a third and final special inspection related to the 2015 downgrade.
According to Dorman’s letter, the special inspection report is due sometime this spring, at which point the NRC will hold a public exit meeting. Public backlash erupted in December during the special inspection, when an NRC employee inadvertently forwarded an email with candid details on the review to the anti-Pilgrim group Cape Downwinders. The controversial email, written by NRC Pilgrim inspection team leader Don Jackson, revealed a long list of observations at the plant, including concerns about Entergy’s safety culture. The regulator, at the request of several local and state officials, held a public meeting in Plymouth, explaining that the inspection details were preliminary.
