Nuclear Regulators Feigning Ignorance on Potentially Defective Parts in US Reactors?

[kristopher]

US NRC on Areva-Le Creusot Potentially Defective Parts in US Reactors – Feigning Ignorance?
22 Jun 2016

From an NRC Report, October 6 – 8, 2009, by Kerri Kavanagh

In the US, nuclear reactors having potentially defective Le Creusot-Areva parts include (but are not necessarily limited to): Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessels at Prairie Island 1 and 2;
Replacement Reactor Pressure Vessel Closure Heads (replacement lids) at North Anna, Surry, Three Mile Island, Crystal River 3, Arkansas One, Turkey Point, Salem, St Lucie, DC Cook);
(Replacement) Steam Generators at Prairie Island 1, Callaway, Arkansas One, Salem, St Lucie, Three Mile Island and
(Replacement) Pressurizers at St Lucie, Millstone
(See Greenpeace France, Briefing http://grnpc.org/IgNdG and “AREVA – Société Générale / Investor day Burgundy – April 9, 2009“)

Kerri Kavanagh, on behalf of the US NRC, belatedly issued a statement on June 20th entitled: “Quality Assurance Issues in France: Implications for U.S. Plants?” Kerri Kavanagh pretends to not know what parts or types of parts are involved, nor their ages. And yet, the NRC’s own documentation states:

“The designer/manufacturer of the reactor vessels for Prairie Island is Creusot-Loire (formerly called SFAC)… The replacement reactor vessel closure heads and CRDM pressure housings were manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) in Futami, Japan under their ASME Section III code program.” http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0712/ML071290663.pdf

Thus, at least for this example Kerri should know the age, and the catastrophic consequences of a ruptured nuclear reactor pressure vessel. It also appears that the initial reactor vessel closure heads, almost surely Creusot made, had to be replaced.

Prairie Island Nuclear Power Station was built within a few years of the Swiss Beznau Nuclear Power Station, which also has Le Creusot (at the time called Schneider Forge) reactor pressure vessels. And, in fact, Beznau 1 has been offline for almost a year due to almost 1000 defects in its reactor pressure vessel. Last weekend 6,000 people walked in mud, in the rain, demanding the prompt closure of Beznau nuclear power station. The Swiss regulator claims that the reactor pressure vessel for Beznau 2 is ok. Prairie Island is located on the extreme upper Mississippi River, and Beznau on the Aare River shortly before it feeds into the upper Rhine. Both of these rivers are essential economically and environmentally.

The US NRC had concerns over Areva testing and documentation at least as early as 2009, and the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) was aware of these concerns. In fact...

https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/us-nrc-on-areva-le-creusot-potential-defects-in-us-reactors-feigning-ignorance/

See also:

Shortcomings identified in Le Creusot quality checks
04 May 2016
An ongoing quality audit at the Le Creusot forge has identified "irregularities" in paperwork on some 400 plant components produced there since 1965. The issues "comprise inconsistencies, modifications or omissions in the production files, concerning manufacturing parameters and test results...

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-Shortcomings-identified-in-Le-Creusot-quality-checks-0405164.html

[lsewpershad]

1. Until

Something horrible happens.