Oconee Nuclear Leak Focus of NRC Meeting

Officials with Duke Energy met with officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thursday morning in a meeting to discuss a November 2013 leak.  During the nearly four and a half hour meeting, officials with Duke Energy acknowledged that operators at the Oconee Nuclear Station had fallen short of taking all precautions in preventing the development of the leak. Scott Batson, site vice-president for Oconee Nuclear said Duke Energy agrees that there were apparent violations. However, company officials say the leak was of “very low safety significance” and allowed operators to learn from their mistakes. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission made no announcements or decisions regarding the safety significance of the leak or any other possible NRC actions. According to NRC spokesman Joey Ledford, such decisions by the NRC would be announced at a later date.