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Recent media reports accusing the nuclear energy industry of opposing the installation of filtered vents on Mark I and II boiling water reactors (BWRs) are incorrect. What is really at stake is taking the most meaningful steps at nuclear plants to prevent and manage an accident like the one at Fukushima...

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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...

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...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards said last week it does not support an agency staff position that would require the 31 U.S. boiling water reactors with Mark I and II containments to install external containment...

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...

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...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC’s latest analysis of faults near the Diablo Canyon nuclear energy facility in California confirms that the plant’s design could withstand earthquakes near the site, the agency said in a seismic. The NRC’s work is...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. A new study by the Electric Power Research Institute that examines options for minimizing the release of radioactive materials in a severe nuclear accident says that a combination of strategies would be more effective than...

NRC staff has issued for public comment draft interim staff guidance for U.S. nuclear energy facility operators reassessing the ability of their plants to withstand earthquakes. The guidance describes the NRC’s “acceptable method” for licensees to conduct enhanced “seismic margin assessments,” or SMAs...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC commissioners told congressional leaders this week they are confident, despite acknowledging the schedule as “very aggressive,” that the highest-priority post-Fukushima safety enhancements will be completed...

Before the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. nuclear energy industry was regarded as one of the most secure industries in the United States because of its state-of-the-art training for its security forces and best-in-class security and safeguards equipment to protect nuclear plant sites. Over the past 10 years...

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...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC’s regulatory framework and processes for considering off-site property damage from unintended releases of radioactive material are “sound” and provide enough flexibility to account for economic consequences in the...

Below is a summary of actions by the U.S. nuclear energy industry in response to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. These actions include proactive initiatives taken by the industry and a tailored, comprehensive industry response to new regulatory requirements. Analyzing and Capturing Lessons Learned...

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...

Local media took notice when Nebraska Public Power District trained Cooper Nuclear Station’s fire brigade at the fire training center in Bellvue, Neb. Video posted to KETV’s YouTube channel. ...read more

For more than a decade, unmanned robots have been used to detect and dispose of bombs in war zones and to assist with recovery efforts in disaster areas. Since last March, they have been utilized to help clean up the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Here in the United States...

The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. New requirements for post-Fukushima safety enhancements at French nuclear power plants will involve “considerable work and large-scale investments,” a report from the country’s nuclear regulator says. The regulator, ASN, said that...

The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. NEI has sent the NRC information on the industry’s Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs) for managing extreme events at nuclear power plants, in response to the agency’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking for emergency...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Duke Energy Corp. employees at the Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina have been honored with the B. Ralph Sylvia “Best of the Best” Award for completing the first digital upgrades to commercial reactor protection systems in the United States. The conversion from the analog instrumentation...