NRC increases oversight at Oconee

Nuclear Regulatory Commission is increasing its oversight of the Oconee nuclear plant after assessing the plant a violation related to the failure to identify and correct a crack in a weld on a key safety system.  NRC staff held a conference with Duke Energy officials at the end of last month to discuss the risk significance of a violation linked to the plant staff’s failure to identify and correct a crack in a weld in the Unit 1 high pressure injection system.  The violation, identified during an inspection, has been determined to be “white,” meaning it has low to moderate significance.  There was no immediate safety concern because the crack was repaired, but the NRC determined that the method used by the plant to check for cracks did not provide acceptable coverage and did not identify the crack before repairing it.  That white finding will result in the NRC conducting a supplemental inspection at Oconee.