Southern nukes lead in use of problematic fire barriers

There are 10 nuclear power plants across the United States that are relying on faulty materials to protect against catastrophic fires. Seven of these plants are located in the South -- and all are owned by companies based in the South.

That's among the alarming findings of a special inquiry conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of Inspector General. The IG's report [PDF] faults NRC staff for not acting more promptly in investigating the ability of the material, called Hemyc, to protect critical electrical systems.

Progress Energy's Shearon Harris plant, located in North Carolina's fast-growing Research Triangle Park region, uses more Hemyc than any other nuclear power plant in the nation. In fact, new documents show the Harris plant contains more Hemyc than previously disclosed. The NRC has long known that the material is vulnerable to failure but has not required the plants to replace it with something more reliable.

Other plants relying on Hemyc for fire protection are:

* four owned by New Orleans-based Entergy (the Arkansas Nuclear plant in Russellville; the Waterford plant in St. Charles Parish, La.; the Indian Point plant near New York City; and the Fitzpatrick plant near Oswego, N.Y);

* two owned by Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy (the Catawba plant near York, S.C. and the McGuire plant near Charlotte);

* Dallas-based Energy Future's Comanche Peak plant southwest of Fort Worth, Texas;

* Raleigh, N.C.-based Progress Energy's H.B. Robinson plant near Hartsville, S.C.; and

* the St. Lucie plant near Fort Pierce, Fla. that's owned by Florida Power & Light.

"It appears that NRC is more concerned about providing a fire wall from its own regulations than requiring effective fire protection at U.S. nuclear power stations," said Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear, a Washington-based watchdog group that's been leading efforts to draw attention to the nuclear fire safety problem

The IG's report now goes to Congress, with hearings planned for April. U.S. Rep. David Price of North Carolina also helped initiate a separate, broader Government Accountability Office investigation into the NRC's enforcement of fire regulations; its findings are expected to be released this spring.

Labels: nuclear power, public safety