Press Release-IV-12-053, NRC Begins Special Inspection at River Bend Nuclear Plant

Press Release-IV-12-053: NRC Begins Special Inspection at River Bend Nuclear Plant

ML12349A141
Person / Time
Site:	River Bend
Issue date:	12/14/2012
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region IV
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release IV-12-053
Download: ML12349A141 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region IV 1600 E. Lamar Blvd.

Arlington, TX 76011-4511 Telephone: (817) 860-8100 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. IV-12-053 December 14, 2012

Contact:

Victor Dricks (817) 200-1128 E-Mail: OPA4.Resource@nrc.gov Lara Uselding (817) 200-1519 NRC BEGINS SPECIAL INSPECTION AT RIVER BEND NUCLEAR PLANT The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today it is conducting a special inspection at the River Bend Nuclear Station to review the circumstances surrounding a problem with an emergency diesel generator. River Bend, operated by Entergy Operations Inc., is located 24 miles northwest of Baton Rouge.

On Dec. 2, 2012, during testing of one of the emergency diesel generators, plant operators identified a leak from a pipe that provides cooling water to the engine. Operators shut down the diesel generator. Emergency diesel generators are the main back-up power source to the plants safety systems if there is a loss of offsite power. The issue is a safety concern that warrants additional NRC attention. The other on-site generator remains functional.

The purpose of this special inspection is to better understand the cause of the leak and review the licensees corrective actions to ensure that the diesel generator will perform as intended, said Region IV Administrator Elmo E. Collins.

The NRC inspectors will review the licensees response to previous leaks involving emergency diesel generator piping, evaluate the licensees cause analyses, and review the corrective actions taken to address the problems. The inspection report documenting their findings will be publicly available within 45 days of the end of the inspection.

News releases are available through a free listserv 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 website.