NRC Grants a 2nd Chance to Plant Shut for Napping

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday gave a Pennsylvania nuclear plant permission to resume operations two years after it was shut down because 33 control room operators slept on the job or neglected their duties.

The NRC voted 3 to 0 to lift the order that had kept the Peach Bottom plant closed since March 31, 1987, when the commission said its continued operation would threaten public health and safety.

In granting permission to restart the facility, the commission nevertheless warned the plant operator against complacency. “We will be watching you very closely,” NRC Chairman Lando W. Zech Jr. said.

Plant officials must complete a checklist of technical items before bringing the plant to full power, a task that will take several months and be carried out under the scrutiny of NRC inspectors.

Utility Reports Changes

The commission acted after a representative of Philadelphia Electric Co., the plant operator, said it had undergone radical changes since the NRC investigated a tip about sleeping on the job and ordered the facility shut down.

The changes got to the “root causes” of the problem, the NRC’s staff said in recommending that the commission permit the restarting.

There had been a lax “culture” at Peach Bottom, in which plant problems either were ignored or went unnoticed, the staff said.

“It would at least appear to me that management (before the shutdown) either was not aware of conditions or, if they were aware of it, they condoned it,” Zech said before the vote.

“The operators must never again betray the special trust and countenance of the public,” Zech said.

Commissioner James Curtis was out of the country and missed the vote. Commissioner Kenneth Rogers abstained because he once served on the Philadelphia Electric board, the NRC said.

Costly Down Time

The shutdown cost the company about $250 million for plant modifications, purchasing replacement power and its share of a $1.25 million fine, the largest in NRC history.

Many of the problems at Peach Bottom occurred on the overnight shift. On at least two occasions, according to NRC testimony in 1987, three of the four control room employees responsible for running the plant were asleep at the same time. Another time, several of the operators were found huddled around a personal computer, playing video games.

Of 39 control room operators now at the plant, 24 were there at the time of the shutdown, and all have been retrained. To discourage napping, high-backed chairs in the control room have been replaced with less comfortable seating.

In another development, meanwhile, Zech indicated the committee would vote Thursday on awarding a full-power license to the Shoreham nuclear plant on Long Island, after hearing the NRC staff report that the $5.5 billion reactor is not hazardous and is ready to go into service.

All indications are that the Shoreham full-power license will be awarded, but whether it will ever be used is doubtful. The Long Island Lighting Co. is one step away from selling the plant to New York state for $1 in exchange for 10 annual rate increases of up to 5%. The state would then decommission and dismantle the plant.