FIRE SAFETY NOT A NEW TOPIC FOR SHEARON HARRIS.....(RECALL THAT WE HAD A FIRE THERE JUST 2 SHORT WEEKS AGO?) "The fire safety system at the Shearon Harris is in chaos. In 2005, it came to the point when experts from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) questioned the plant’s overall security. Mind you that the Commission usually tries to cover up problems at US NPPs rather than bring them to public attention. Right now, Progress Energy is applying for a new license for operating Shearon Harris until year 2046. Strangely enough, the NRC is planning to grant them the license, even though the plant does not meet federal demands for fire safety. The decision, based on the company’s promise to improve the situation over the coming four to eight years, has spurred several NGOs to bring suit against Progress Energy, demanding that their license be suspended and that they be fined for breaching federal regulations. According to official results from studies done by US federal agencies on nuclear regulation, a fire at an NPP can lead to loss of control over the reactor, overheating, and a major release of radiation. And now to my favorite part of the story: Instead of carrying out an expensive upgrade of the fire safety system at Shearon Harris, Progress Energy decided to hire a few people, who every hour take a walk around the plant and check that there is no fire. I first heard about this ingeniously cheap and simple solution from Jim Warren at the local organization NC WARN, which is currently involved in a court case against Progress Energy."
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 19:59:46 +0000
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