Duke response to apparent violation

A  spokeswoman for Duke Energy says her company has come up with “some additional information” which it intends to present to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the manner of an apparent violation last year in Unit One at Oconee Nuclear. Commenting on an announcement made Thursday by the NRC, Duke’s B-J Gatten said her company, in analyzing the government watchdog’s findings, has come up with some information of its own that it will relay to the NRC in a conference. The violation in question resulted from a crack in a weld, which Duke personnel found and self-reported. That crack led to what the company called a small leak and the temporary shut down of Unit One last November. “When the leak was discovered last November, Oconee inspected similar connections on all three units and confirmed there were no other indications. We have taken steps to improve our weld inspection procedures and those procedures are already in use to prevent a future similar event from occurring,” Gatten said.