Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Plant News, Jobs, and Careers

High-definition cameras inserted into sample holes in the Davis-Besse nuclear plant's shield building have revealed a handful of additional cracks, FirstEnergy reported Friday, but confirmed that the building is structurally sound. As of last week, the utility had examined 43 of 82 "core bores"...

Day & Zimmermann (D&Z), the century-old, family-owned provider of construction & engineering, staffing, and defense solutions for leading corporations and governments around the world, announced today its Engineering, Construction & Maintenance group signed a multi-year contract renewal...

Spring inspections revealed a total of 24 nozzles needing modification, a process involving removal of the lower half of each affected nozzle, re-welding, inspecting and testing the remaining section to ensure each nozzle met and exceeded the requirements for structural integrity. With a focus on safety and quality, AREVA worked diligently to complete repairs to assist the plant in re-starting and running safely. The...

In addition to the successful modification of the nozzles, major work included exchanging 76 fuel assemblies, replacing underground cables and several valves, reinforcing welds on plant equipment and performing in-depth equipment inspections and testing - By Linton Levy - FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) has announced that the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, returned to service...

The NRC’s confirmatory action letter is designed to address issues that contributed to the March 12 discovery of cracks and leakage in multiple Control Rod Drive Mechanism (CRDM) nozzles. The CRDM nozzles guide the control rods into the reactor core to shut down the reactor. - Source NRC - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today sent a Confirmatory Action Letter to FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC...

Davis-Besse is currently preparing for restart following a scheduled refueling where 24 of 69 control rod nozzles were modified using an industry-proven method to ensure their structural integrity. Installing the new head with nozzles made of material less susceptible to primary water stress corrosion cracking will further enhance safe and reliable operations at the unit. - By Stephen Heiser - FirstEnergy Nuclear...

Modifications of 24 of the 69 nozzles having small cracks were completed during the past two months using industry-proven methods, including robotic welding. The flaws were identified during a comprehensive inspection of the reactor head as part of a scheduled refueling outage that began February 28, 2010 - By Stephen Heiser - Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station officials told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission...

“Keeping Pace While Firmly Grounded” Prepared Remarks for The Honorable Gregory B. Jaczko Chairman U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the NEI’s Nuclear Energy Assembly - Source NRC - Good morning. Thank you for the invitation to address this important conference. When people think about nuclear issues today, people think about change. And people are most likely to focus on the renewed interest in nuclear power...

Modification to 10 nozzles is nearing completion, while work on the remaining 14 is now underway. Dye-penetrant and ultrasonic testing will be performed to confirm the modifications before the plant is restarted - By Chris Smith - Inspection of control rod drive mechanism nozzles at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, has been completed. Initial testing in March of the 69 nozzles penetrating...

Davis-Besse, which generates 908 megawatts of FirstEnergy's total output of 14,200 megawatts, was scheduled to be out of action now for routine maintenance. But testing revealed 13 of 52 nozzles of its control-rod mechanism showed cracks or fatigue, forcing an extended outage until they are repaired - Edited by April Murelio - According to a report in the Toledo Blade, If the repairs under way at FirstEnergy...

“A Firm Foundation, A Strong Regulatory Future” - Prepared Remarks for The Honorable Gregory B. Jaczko, Chairman, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at the NRC Regulatory Information Conference - Source NRC - Good morning. I am pleased to address the 22nd Annual Regulatory Information Conference. The RIC is the largest annual gathering sponsored by the NRC. It brings together a broad range of participants ...

"Safety is our number-one goal, and we are committed to ensuring the structural integrity of the equipment before restarting the plant," said Barry Allen, Davis-Besse site vice president. "We have begun a comprehensive investigation to determine the underlying cause, and have secured nuclear contractor AREVA to make the repairs." - Edited by Stephen Heiser - The planned refueling outage underway...

Some 1,200 temporary contractors, many from the local area providing specialized services, and 100 FENOC employees from the company's other nuclear plants, will supplement the Davis-Besse workforce during the outage - By Stephen Heiser - FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. has announced that its Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, has...

We need an effective Enforcement Program that takes prompt corrective actions and makes clear the high expectations we have of our licensees for applying our guidance and regulations - Edited by Mark McFadden - Opening Remarks Good morning. The Commission meets today to receive a briefing from staff and input from several stakeholders on the agency’s Enforcement and Allegation Programs. The performance of these...