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NRC Grants Ft. Calhoun License Amendment Requestby Moderator |
Lara Uselding
Public Affairs Officer
Region IV
When
someone sees the words Fort Calhoun and flooding in the same document,
it gets attention. So we thought we’d provide some insight into a
document -- issued this week -- with that very word combination.
Ft. Calhoun Senior Resident Inspector John Kirkland provides "boots on the ground" oversight at the plant.
The
Fort Calhoun Station, located north of Omaha, Neb., and operated by the
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), recently restarted after a long
hiatus. But months before that happened, in April 2012, OPPD asked
permission to implement a license change involving actions to protect the plant at high and low river levels.
On Jan. 28, 2014, the NRC granted the request and issued a license amendment
officially changing when the plant should be powered down during a
flood scenario. Simply put, the change involves powering down at 1004
feet mean sea level versus the previously set level of 1009 feet. In
addition to setting the river rising to a lower level, the NRC document
also specifies that the plant must shutdown within six hours of river
levels dropping below 976 feet 9 inches mean sea level.
This
all started back in 2010 when NRC inspectors identified concerns with
the plant’s flood protection strategy. So this is not a newly identified
item and it does not change the plant’s design basis flood. It is an
official change to the plant’s license during flood conditions and
provides a more conservative level of action.
It
is important to note that prior to restart, the licensee made
modifications to the plant and had plans in place to protect the plant
from rising river levels.
There
is still ongoing and important work being done by OPPD, NRC and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate flood risks at the site in
accordance with the post-Fukushima actions. The current target date for
OPPD providing this information to the NRC is March 12, 2014. In the meantime, the plant is safe and has measures in place to respond to flooding events.
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