Browse by Tags

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. NRC staff last week outlined several options it is considering for creating a more integrated regulatory framework, as recommended by the agency’s post-Fukushima task force. The options, discussed at a Nov. 8 public meeting...

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...

The NRC has issued for public comment draft interim staff guidance for U.S. nuclear energy facility operators to perform certain flooding hazard assessments in response to a request for information the agency issued in March as part of its response to the Fukushima accident. The March request calls for...

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...

Elected Officials Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) and Presidential Candidate “We’re going to take full advantage of our oil, our coal, our natural gas, our nuclear, our renewables…  I know you’re particularly aware of nuclear as well and recognize America must have a reliable source of domestically...

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...

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. Discussion of the cumulative effects of regulation on NRC licensees dominated a panel at last week’s NEI Licensing Forum, with the views of the industry’s commercial nuclear energy and fuel cycle sectors well represented...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. NEI has reiterated its position that the key to minimizing radioactive releases during an accident is to avoid core damage. In a letter to the NRC, NEI is also urging the agency to consolidate several issues it is analyzing...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC has issued for public comment draft interim staff guidance for U.S. nuclear energy facility operators to evaluate their sites’ responses to reanalyzed flooding hazards that exceed levels the plants were designed...

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...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC has released Interim Staff Guidance on three post-Fukushima orders the agency issued in March on safety enhancements at the nation’s nuclear energy facilities. “The NRC guidance issued last week meets the intent...

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. The industry has submitted for NRC endorsement revised guidance for implementing the agency’s post-Fukushima order to install additional used fuel storage pool instrumentation. The revision clarifies several points based...

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...

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...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. The NRC’s plan to require licensees to evaluate the potential loss of a nuclear energy facility’s ultimate heat sink, or long-term cooling source, as part of flooding hazard re-evaluations will extend the time needed to...

The following news article originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview. NRC Commissioner George Apostolakis had questions about the nuclear energy industry’s FLEX strategy at a briefing on the progress made to implement the highest-priority recommendations of the agency’s post-Fukushima task...

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...

Industry/Regulatory/Political An independent review of lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants in the aftermath of last year’s earthquake and tsunami, conducted by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations at the request of Tokyo Electric Power Co., says that reactor operators...