Pilgrim nuclear plant faulted on security issues
Pilgrim Nuclear Power StationCape Cod Times file/Merrily Cassidy
PLYMOUTH — Federal nuclear regulators found five security-related violations at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during a routine inspection last month.
Two of those had been spotted by inspectors as long ago as 2012 but the shortcomings had yet to be addressed.
On Thursday, Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan characterized the number of infractions found in this latest inspection as high.
It isn't uncommon for plants to receive multiple "green" or "low security significance" inspection findings, "but five is above the normal average," Sheehan said.
For two of the violations, the NRC issued written notices to Entergy Nuclear Operations, the plant's owner and operator, for failing "to correct long-standing equipment deficiencies important to station security defense ... within a reasonable amount of time," according to the NRC letter.
The deficiencies dated back to November 2012.
The company was issued "noncited violation" notices for two of the others, which require Entergy to correct the problems or face enforcement action.
While federal regulators won't specifically discuss findings related to security, the two were described as related to "human performance."
One was issued because inspectors determined "there should have been tighter security-related controls on work activities," Sheehan said.
Another of the noncited violations was related to decision-making.
"Our approach is the company should always err on the side of conservatism," Sheehan said.
NRC officials said those two shortcomings had been addressed by Entergy by the time inspectors left the site.
The final infraction found at the plant did not rise to the level of either of the two enforcement actions, Sheehan said.
Entergy has 30 days to respond to the NRC's letter.
"If we're not satisfied with the company's response or they fail to make meaningful changes, we could do more enforcement, including civil penalties," Sheehan said.
"Secure and safe operations are of the utmost importance at Pilgrim," Entergy said in a written statement. "At no time was the safety and security of the community or employees ever at risk."
The issues were promptly addressed and others have become part of the plant's corrective action plan "to preclude future occurrences," the statement said.
Just two months ago, Pilgrim owners received three notices for violating federal regulations by letting their employees work more hours than rules allow, operating when both of the plant's meteorological towers were down and failing to meet a federal security requirement, according to a report based on a routine check of the plant by inspectors in October.
Those violations were also classified as "low safety significance," although federal officials stressed that all three findings were rated that way because nothing bad happened as a result.
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