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FERC approves 83 NERC reliability standards

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) acted Thursday, March 15, 2007 to assure the reliability of the nation’s bulk power system by finalizing 83 reliability standards proposed by the Commission-certified electric reliability organization. Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher observed: “The Commission takes a landmark step in adopting for the first time mandatory and enforceable reliability standards in the United States. Last summer, we set record power demand levels in eight regions of the country. It was the greatest challenge to reliability of the interstate grid since the August 2003 blackout. With our action today, the U.S. is better prepared to meet reliability challenges this summer.” The final rule approves 83 of 107 proposed reliability standards, as well as six of the proposed eight regional differences and the Glossary of Terms submitted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). These mandatory reliability standards apply to users, owners and operators of the bulk power system designated by NERC through its compliance registry procedures. Both monetary and nonmonetary penalties may be imposed for violations of the standards. Chairman Kelliher's statement: www.ferc.gov/press?room/statements?speeches/kelliher/2007/03?15?07?kelliher?E?12.asp

Details Here: www.ferc.gov/press?room/press?releases/2007/2007?1/03?15?07?E?12.asp

first published week of:   12/31/1969

NRC plans major revision of its enforcement policy

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it is planning a major revision of its enforcement policy, chiefly to clarify the use of terms and enforcement issues that have changed or did not exist when the agency's policy was first published in 1980. NRC said it wants to update terms that were originally crafted for conventional enforcement and that are now also used for the significance determination process under NRC's reactor oversight process. NRC said it wants to consider enforcement issues associated with the construction phase of new reactors and new requirements in relation to safeguards and security. In its January 25 Federal Register notice, NRC says public comments are due by March 26. Federal Register

Details Here: www.platts.com/Nuclear/News/8851963.xml?sub=Nuclear&p=Nuclear/News

first published week of:   02/02/2007

NRC says plant operators are not liable for airliner attacks

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said that nuclear power plant operators should not be expected to stop terrorists from crashing an airliner into a reactor, saying that responsibility lies elsewhere. Plant operators instead should focus on limiting radioactive releases and public exposure from any such airborne attack, the agency said in a revised defense plan for America's nuclear plants. Details of the new defense plan are secret. The NRC, in a summary of the security plan, said that "active protection" against an airborne threat rests with organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the military. It said that various mitigation strategies required of plant operators "are sufficient to ensure adequate protection of the public health and safety" in case of an airborne attack.

Details Here: www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248221,00.html

first published week of:   02/05/2007

NRC seeks to terror-proof nuclear plants

While federal regulators say the nation's nuclear power plants could probably withstand a September 11th-style attack, future reactors will be specifically designed to survive a crash by a large aircraft. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesperson Eliot Brenner said Wednesday, January 17, that such an incident is considered highly unlikely. But with dozens of domestic nuclear power plants on utilities' drawing boards for the first time since the 1970s, the commission will reach out to reactor engineers to discuss ways to enhance reactor durability

Details Here: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_489073.html

first published week of:   01/29/2007

Nuclear plant at Monticello shut down indefinitely

The Monticello nuclear power plant, located about in Minnesota, 45 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, remains shut down indefinitely, as an investigation continues into why a large metal component broke loose inside the plant, federal officials said Tuesday, January 16. A 35,000-pound control box fell off a steel beam inside the plant last Wednesday, triggering safety systems that shut down the nuclear reactor automatically. The incident was outside the reactor, and no radiation was released. Jan Strasma of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, "The initial assessment is that the welds broke due to vibration over the years," and one side of the box dropped about a foot onto a large steam pipe. The mechanisms inside the box apparently malfunctioned and opened valves in four other steam pipes, which activated sensors that shut the plant down immediately. David Lochbaum of the Union of Concerned Scientists said that even though the sensors at Monticello worked successfully last week, it can be risky to rely too much on a nuclear plant's automatic shutdown system. Aging nuclear plants could face additional stress if utilities try to run them too long between maintenance shutdowns, or boost their power output beyond what they were designed to produce.

Details Here: www.startribune.com/462/story/940767.html

first published week of:   01/22/2007

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