Events at Catawba, Harris prompt special inspections

摘要

Recent events at nuclear power plants in the Carolinas prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to send special inspection teams to the plants from the agency's Region II Office in Atlanta. On April 4 at Duke Energy's Catawba plant near York, S.C., Unit 1 was at 100 percent power and Unit 2 was off line for refueling. The flow of off-site power stopped at about 8 p.m., tripping Unit 1 and temporarily depriving Unit 2 of shutdown cooling. The two emergency diesel generators for each unit started and powered the emergency buses. Unit l's shutdown was uncomplicated, with decay heat removed through steam generator relief valves and auxiliary feedwater delivered by that system's pumps.