The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has come down on the Tennessee Valley Authority for its program to document the quality of commercial parts ordered for its Watts Bar 2 completion project and other nuclear plants.
In an inspection report dated Tuesday, the regulator outlined three apparent violations addressing the quality control issues first identified at Watts Bar in 2011. They relate to the way TVA cataloged, inspected and tested components to ensure they met the NRC's rigorous safety standards for use in nuclear plants. While not yet confirmed, the apparent violations are being considered for escalated enforcement action by the agency.
“The new information identified through the extent of condition review, which was not available at the time of the previous inspection, suggested that the problems with CGD (the commercial grade dedication program) were pervasive enough to indicate a breakdown in the program resulting in multiple examples of construction of unknown quality,” the NRC said in an accompanying letter to TVA.
On Friday, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that the issues affected 6,200 parts shipments dating back to 1995 that may also have ended up at other TVA reactors beyond Watts Bar 2. The federal utility plans to evaluate all affected parts installed between 1995 and 2011 by the end of next year — a task the Times Free Press reported will require an additional 30 to 40 personnel to complete.
TVA representatives have said they do not expect the ongoing review will affect the budget at Watts Bar 2, and they emphasized that the issues stem from documentation rather than from sub-standard parts that would pose a safety risk.