 |
| credit: AP |
Readers will remember the flooding of the
{Ft. Calhoun} nuclear power plant by the Missouri River last June. The plant has been shut down since last April when routine refueling maintenance was scheduled to be performed, but the flood and a subsequent fire caused more damage to the facility than the owner Omaha Public Power District admitted at the time. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has imposed strict oversight on the facility. Inspections are expected to last into the summer. OPPD has made changes to its flood defenses and completed damage repairs which must be approved by the agency. The fire knocked out the cooling system for used fuel and the smoke and soot from the fire disabled the back up systems. Failure of spent fuel cooling systems caused a meltdown of Fukushima #4 after the earthquake and tsunami hit. NRC said plant officials were too slow to notify emergency response teams about the fire. Other problems include a failed electrical part during a 2010 test, and public warning sirens that do not always work. Restart of the plant is expected in the fall of this year.
