Press Release-III-08-036, NRC Begins Special Inspection at the Monticello Nuclear Plant Due to Equipment Problems

Press Release-III-08-036: NRC Begins Special Inspection at the Monticello Nuclear Plant Due to Equipment Problems

ML082630063
Person / Time
Site:	Monticello
Issue date:	09/19/2008
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-08-036
Download: ML082630063 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 No. III-08-036 September 19, 2008 Contacts: Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 Web site: www.nrc.gov NRC BEGINS SPECIAL INSPECTION AT MONTICELLO NUCLEAR PLANT DUE TO EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is conducting a special inspection at the Monticello Nuclear Power Station to review equipment problems associated with an unplanned reactor shutdown. The plant is operated by Xcel Energy and is located in Monticello, Minn.

On Sept. 11, 2008, the Monticello Plant tripped (shut down automatically) as a result of a transformer failure that led to loss of off-site power to some plant equipment. After the trip, the plant experienced other equipment problems involving safety-related systems.

The plant shut down safely and these equipment problems did not make the plant unstable, said Regional Administrator James Caldwell. However, we need to have a more thorough understanding of the scope of equipment issues that occurred. Our special inspection team is tasked with review and analysis of these issues and of the plants actions to fix these problems.

In addition to reviewing the circumstances around the Sept. 11 trip, the special inspection will also evaluate equipment problems that occurred on Sept. 17, when the Monticello Plant declared an Unusual Event, the lowest level of emergency in the NRCs emergency classification system. The plant was still shut down as a result of the earlier trip.

The NRCs special inspection team was at the plant when the declaration occurred. The team members assisted the resident inspectors at the plant to respond to the event.

Operators of the Monticello Nuclear Power Station declared an Unusual Event after a contract employee was fatally injured when he came into contact with a high-voltage power line outside of the plant gates. This led to an interruption of power to some plant equipment. The power interruption caused a system designed to cool the reactor while it is shut down to become unavailable. Power to the cooling system was subsequently restored, and there was no hazard to plant workers or the public. The NRCs special inspection team will review the circumstances around these equipment issues.

The three person special inspection team will establish the sequence of events during the Sept. 11 trip and the Sept. 17 Unusual Event; review the equipment problems associated with both incidents; conduct an independent review of actions and responses of plant operators; and review the utilitys response to the situation and the companys corrective actions.

The duration of a special inspection cannot be determined in advance. The average duration of a special inspection is seven days. The inspection report will be issued about 45 days after the inspection is complete. It will be available through the NRC RIII Office of Public Affairs and at the NRC web site: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html.

NRC news releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.