Oconee Nuclear meets new fire protection standards

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that Duke Energy’s Oconee nuclear plant has completed all activities specified by a 2013 Confirmatory Order to meet requirements connected to its transition to new fire protection standards. The three-unit was one of the first plants in the country to begin the transition to National Fire Protection Association 805, a more risk-based standard for fire protection at nuclear power plants. NRC says inspectors have reviewed interim milestones completed by the plant staff since 2013 as part of the Confirmatory Order and finished the most recent inspection in January. The letter and report for that inspection were sent to Duke Energy Feb. 21. “The results of that inspection and previous inspections provide adequate assurance that the requirements of the order have been met,” said NRC Region II Administrator Cathy Haney. The work at the Oconee site included completion of the protected service water, or PSW, system modification, the analysis of non-power operations, the incorporation of the PSW modification into the plant’s fire protection program documents, and confirmation that the PSW system continued to provide adequate protection against fire risk.