Inspectors Continue Review at Shippingport Nuclear Plant

November 13, 2008

Beaver County Times, By Bob Bauder, Times Staff
SHIPPINGPORT - Federal inspectors continued a review Thursday at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station after a September incident in which air was trapped in a back-up safety system.

FirstEnergy Corp., which owns the plant, reported it discovered air pockets in a system supplying cooling water to the Beaver Valley 1 reactor in the event of an accident. The discovery came during an inspection requested by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which required similar inspections across the country.

FirstEnergy spokesman Scott Waitlevertch said the company thinks the system, one of numerous that could be used in an emergency, would have worked despite the air. He said neither the public nor the plant was in danger. The company vented the air last month, and the system is working properly. FirstEnergy will monitor it to avoid a similar incident, Waitlevertch said.

The NRC dispatched inspectors because the plant's safety margin was decreased, spokesman Neil Sheehan said. He compared it to a plane losing one of four engines.

"Yes, the plane is still safe to fly, but you cut into the margin of safety of that plane," he said, adding that the inspectors would conduct an extensive review.