Playing with fire

摘要

The two plants, the single-PWR Shearon Harris plantoperated by Progress Energyin North Carolina and thethree-PWR Oconee Nuclear Stationoperated by Duke Energy in SouthCarolina, are working with the USNuclear Regulatory Commission toimplement a new fire safety programme.It is based on recent standard NFPA 805,and nuclear power plants across the USAare now volunteering to take it on board.In a May 2009 letter to a Senatesubcommittee, the NRC explains whyit is allowing US plants to switch fromthe 1981 deterministic fire safetymodel to the performance-basedmodel first promulgated in law in2004.