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The following guest post comes from Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides, senior manager of workforce policy and programs at NEI: Anne Shatara is a single, working mother who in addition to her regular job at a nuclear energy facility has an intriguing third job. She is part of the facility’s emergency response...

Earlier today, the Nuclear Energy Institute released a five-minute video explaining the comprehensive and tailored response strategy that it is implementing across the industry to enhance nuclear plant safety in the face of extreme natural events. To produce the high-definition video, NEI acquired first...

The NRC has issued its final interim staff guidance describing one acceptable method for conducting integrated assessments of external flooding hazards at nuclear energy facilities. The guidance is intended for use in cases where a re-evaluation of the flooding hazard exceeds levels defined by the utilities...

In their daily routines, a firefighter and a nurse are unlikely to sit side by side and develop an emergency response plan. Yet this collaboration is essential to emergency preparedness and is an example of the unlikely synergies that keep Michelle Shoresman motivated in her role as emergency preparedness...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The nuclear energy industry is “safer than it was before the Fukushima Daiichi accident” as nuclear energy facility operators around the world continue to upgrade their emergency preparedness and response capabilities, the...

Industry/Regulatory/Political Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority is investigating whether Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi nuclear plant—the only operating facility in the country—is on an active fault line. The NRA heard last week from a group of experts who have surveyed the fissure. The agency...

Of the 34 nuclear energy facilities in the path of Hurricane Sandy, all responded well and safely to the powerful storm, demonstrating their resilience against severe natural forces. Careful planning and comprehensive preparations days in advance of the storm paid off at all the facilities, ensuring...

Industry/Regulatory/Political The operators of U.S. nuclear energy facilities last week approved a contract to develop two regional response centers that will store emergency equipment for rapid delivery in case of an extreme event at any nuclear plant. “The regional response centers will further increase...

Every nuclear energy facility in the country has a detailed plan for responding to an emergency, and emergency operations facilities (EOFs) are an integral part of these plans. Demonstrating their commitment to emergency preparedness, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC) built new EOFs for each...

Equipment-sharing program at Memphis, Phoenix locations augments industry protocol to pool safety equipment in event of emergencies WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 25, 2012—The nuclear energy industry is adding another layer of safety and public protection by developing regional centers for critical equipment...

Industry/Regulatory/Political AREVA has announced a contract to provide all 23 of Japan’s pressurized water reactors with passive autocatalytic recombiners, which will help prevent hydrogen from building up in emergency situations. The company said it will install more than 100 of the devices, which...

Industry/Regulatory/Political The post-Fukushima response steering committees of the nuclear energy industry and Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviewed accomplishments and work in progress during a joint meeting last week. Nuclear energy industry representatives highlighted completion of inspections...

In Monica Ray’s experience, preparing for the unlikely event of an emergency at Arizona Public Service’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station requires coordination and communication. From comparing lessons learned with emergency response teams at other nuclear energy facilities to updating the Arizona...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The United States and other participants in an international conference last week proposed a series of measures to enhance nuclear safety, including 15 “action-oriented objectives.” Attendees at the Convention on Nuclear...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. Hurricane Isaac had no impact on the three Gulf Coast nuclear energy facilities, but operator Entergy made extensive preparations, including shutting down Waterford 3 before the storm made landfall Wednesday morning. The...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. Member nations of the International Atomic Energy Agency have made “significant progress” in nuclear safety since the accident at Fukushima Daiichi, the organization’s director general said this week. Yukiya Amano cited...

Nuclear energy facilities are built to withstand hurricanes and have a proven history of success. With reactor containment structures of steel-reinforced concrete, nuclear energy facilities are some of the most robust in the U.S. infrastructure. Besides being built strong, nuclear plant operators train...

Industry/Regulatory/Political The International Atomic Energy Agency says its member nations have reported “significant progress” in nuclear safety in the past year, including assessments of safety vulnerabilities at nuclear energy facilities, emergency preparedness and response, and enhanced communications...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. A new study from the National Academy of Sciences says that nuclear emergency preparedness drills helped an Iowa city cope with record-setting floods. The emergency drills may have saved lives, the report said. The city...

Top safety experts at all U.S.nuclear energy facilities are implementing FLEX, a strategy developed to address the main safety challenges atFukushima, and planning for events that are more severe than those for which their facilities were designed. PSEG Nuclear’s Jamie Mallon is one such expert. With...

Industry/Regulatory/Political The International Atomic Energy Agency is leading a “seismic study mission” to collect data about the effects of the 2011 earthquake on Japan’s Onagawa Nuclear Power Station. IAEA said the mission will include regulators from different countries and other experts. The goal...

Last November, we told you about how the employees at the Onagawa nuclear energy facility in Japan played a critical role in sheltering local residents in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation. While the Onagawa facility remains safely shut down, its employees...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. Inspections related to flood protection have begun at nuclear energy facilities based on industry guidance endorsed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in late May. These inspections, or “walkdowns,” address part of the...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. A new Japanese government investigation of the Fukushima accident says that national and local organizations were ill-prepared for a large-scale and complex natural disaster such as last year’s earthquake and tsunami, leading...

The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs a clear safety imperative for drafting options for a new regulatory framework, as recommended by the agency’s post-Fukushima task force, industry said this week. The schedule for this...