NRC sends special inspection team to Ginna after recent failures

NRC has sent a special inspection team to Ginna to look into recent failures of the plant’s turbine-driven auxiliary feedwater pump, the agency said June 9. The pump tripped twice during quarterly testing May 26, after which Constellation undertook troubleshooting and maintenance, NRC said. Constellation spokesman Dave Joslin said in a June 9 interview that the pump is working “fine” after replacement of some parts and other adjustments. The pump is now being tested weekly rather than quarterly, Joslin said. Also, the NRC issued a notice of violation June 8, saying plant personnel did not lubricate the pump’s governor linkage as required in March 2008, resulting in the pump’s failure during testing in December 2008. The violation was rated by the NRC as a “white” finding, the next-to-lowest level in the agency’s reactor oversight process, indicating “low to moderate” safety significance. Constellation officials told NRC staff at a meeting last month that the company will not contest the violation or significance finding. The NRC said in the June 8 notice that it will schedule a supplemental inspection, in addition to the special inspection, “to provide assurance that the root cause and contributing causes of risk significant performance issues are understood, the extent of condition is identified, and the corrective actions are sufficient to prevent recurrence.”

Source: Platts