The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun an investigation into an accident at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant construction site that the agency says may have inadvertently done minor damage to the bottom head of the Unit 2 containment vessel.
The NRC confirmed the inspection of the construction site in Jenkinsville, S.C. on Monday.
Three inspectors are on site, the agency said. Of concern, media reports indicate, is a 7-day delay by Chicago Bridge & Iron to report the accident.
The accident, which involved cutting safety rebar in the concrete, occurred Feb. 9 and was not reported until Feb 16, reports indicate. It was reported to SCANA Corp., then passed along to the NRC.
Workers were drilling into the concrete, when they cut through the rebar. The incident was "inadvertent," the NRC said.
“While the actual damage appears to have been minor, we want to make sure we completely understand its potential impact and the apparent breakdown in controls that might have prevented it,” said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree.
“We are also concerned about the delay in CB&I reporting the issue,” he said.
The inspection is expected to take a week, but a public report on the incident will not be released for an additional 45 days after that.
A spokeswoman for SCANA subsidiary SCE&G Rhonda O'Banion reiterated the NRC assessment that the damage “appears to be minor.”
“We are assessing the condition, conducting the evaluation and identifying corrective actions," She said.