Regulators have ordered a special inspection of Duke Energy's Harris nuclear plant after ultrasound testing showed a small weakness in its reactor pressure vessel head.The testing was conducted during an earlier refueling outage. Further analysis revealed the quarter-inch flaw, and the plant shut down May 15 for repairs. According to a release from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the flaw near a nozzle did not penetrate the RPV head wall and there was no indication of leakage.All the same, the NRC sent an additional two inspectors to the plant who will spend the next week and a half on site to review previous testing records, repair plans and the company's actions to date.“There was no immediate threat to the public or plant workers, but because the discovery is on the vessel head and was not seen in the original review, we are sending specialists from our Atlanta office to further evaluate the issue,” NRC regional administrator Victor McCree said in the release.Harris is a single-unit plant near Raleigh, N.C. It is a Westinghouse three-loop pressurized water reactor first licensed in 1986, according to the NRC.A Duke spokeswoman told Reuters that repairs would be complete in a few weeks.
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