Nuclear Industry Taking Actions to Ensure Continued Safety at U.S. Nuclear Plants

March 24, 2011

Duke Energy and others in the nuclear industry continue to closely monitor the events in Japan. Our industry takes very seriously our commitment to the safe operation of nuclear energy facilities and will incorporate lessons learned based on this experience into our safety and operating procedures. “At this time, we don’t know how the events in Japan will affect the nuclear industry,” says Dhiaa Jamil, chief nuclear officer for Duke Energy. “However, our industry has a strong nuclear safety culture where sharing operating experience and lessons learned are at the core of our business. Open communications and the exchange of information among nuclear operators are facilitated by U.S. and worldwide nuclear organizations who are committed to ensuring every nuclear station operates to the highest standards of safety.”

Although the full details regarding the events in Japan may not be known for quite some time, nuclear plant operators across the country are taking actions now to ensure the continued safe operations of their facilities. Currently, personnel at nuclear stations across the U.S. are:

• Re-verifying their capability to mitigate conditions that result from severe adverse events, including the loss of significant operational and safety systems due to natural events, fires, aircraft impact and explosions. Specific actions include testing and inspecting equipment required to mitigate these events and verifying that qualifications of operators and support staff required to implement them are current.
• Re-verifying each plant's capability to manage a total loss of off-site power. This will require verification that all required materials are adequate and properly staged and that procedures are in place, and focusing operator training on these extreme events.
• Re-verifying the capability to mitigate flooding and the impact of floods on systems inside and outside the plant. Specific actions include verifying required materials and equipment are properly located to protect them from flooding.
• Performing walk downs and inspections of important equipment needed to successfully respond to fire and flood events. This includes identifying the potential that the equipment’s function could be lost during seismic events and developing mitigating strategies for potential vulnerabilities.

Duke Energy Providing Assistance for Japan Response Efforts

We are ready to provide assistance any way we can and have already provided technical experts to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO).

• Duke Energy radiation protection scientists and health physicists are in Washington, D.C., working in NEI’s emergency operations center to provide technical expertise regarding radiological issues. Our employees are part of an industry team serving as industry experts for media inquiries, developing industry talking points and creating support material (fact sheets, graphics, videos) to educate the public and put concerns about radiation in their proper perspective. They are also working with INPO and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to analyze and validate radiation information coming from Japan and being reported in the media.
• A Duke Energy structural engineer from our corporate engineering office is working on a team at INPO in Atlanta, Ga., helping to address questions from the industry about the events in Japan.
• Oconee Nuclear Station was prepared to send a Bogg’s Box to Japan to assist with their efforts to add water to used fuel pools. The Bogg’s Box, developed by an Oconee employee, is a device designed to add more water to the used fuel pools. The device was staged for transport to Japan if needed.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham Visits Oconee Nuclear Station

On March 22, U.S. Senator Graham, a plant neighbor of Oconee Nuclear Station, toured the station and expressed the support for nuclear energy and its importance as a clean energy source to help the U.S. meet its energy needs. Read the Anderson Independent Mail news story.

Related Links

Duke Energy Emergency Preparedness Information – Provides links to several topics and plant-specific information.

Duke Energy Monitors Events in Japan

NEI’s Japan event Web page has a variety of resources, background information and FAQ. Due to increased online activity, the NEI site may load slowly.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

The International Atomic Energy Agency and World Nuclear Association continue to post updates on their websites.

Donate to Japan’s Relief Efforts through the American Red Cross