WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today issued a bulletin to companies operating U.S. nuclear power plants requesting information on how the plants are complying with requirements to deal with the potential loss of large areas of the plant after extreme events. Following is a statement from the Nuclear Energy Institute’s chief nuclear officer and senior vice president, Tony Pietrangelo, responding to the NRC’s action.
“The site reviews just completed at every U.S. nuclear facility to verify their ability to respond to severe events means that the industry already is well on its way to providing the information being requested by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As appropriate, items identified in these reviews already have been entered into every plant’s corrective action program to be resolved by those companies. The NRC has access to these corrective action reports separate and apart from actions and information requested by the NRC bulletin.
“The U.S. nuclear energy industry recognizes that we are accountable to independent oversight authorities and to the American people. We must demonstrate that our facilities are fully prepared to maintain safety even in cases where we have made protective enhancements that go beyond the NRC’s regulatory requirements.”