NRC Plant Walkddowns of Seismic and Flooding Protection Features Re: Fukushima

Plant Walkdowns of Seismic and Flooding Protection Features

In light of the effects from the extreme earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, on the nuclear power plants at Fukushima, the NRC concluded U.S. nuclear power plants needed to reaffirm their existing ability to resist quakes and flooding.  On March 12, 2012, the NRC asked U.S. nuclear power plants to perform a detailed inspection, or "walkdown," of their currently installed seismic and flooding protection features. The plants had to ensure the features met current requirements, and also identify, correct, and report any degraded conditions.  The plants completed their walkdowns by November 2012; NRC inspectors have done follow-up inspections and the agency has issued plant-specific assessments of the licensee's walkdown reports.
Related Documents:
Process Overview – Seismic Walkdowns
Seismic Walkdowns

• NRC Request for Information letter related to seismic, flooding and emergency preparedness (March 12, 2012)
• Industry-issued guidance (with NRC endorsement) for conducting seismic walkdowns (EPRI Report 1025286) (June 2012)
• Guidance for NRC inspectors to review the seismic walkdowns (Temporary Instruction 2515/188) (July 6, 2012)

Process Overview - Flooding Walkdowns
Flooding Walkdowns

• NRC Request for Information letter related to seismic, flooding and emergency preparedness (March 12, 2012)
• Industry-issued guidance (with NRC endorsement) for conducting flooding walkdowns (NEI 12-07) (May 2012)
• Guidance for NRC inspectors to review the flooding walkdowns (Temporary Instruction 2515/187) (June 27, 2012)

For plant-specific documents, visit our Plant-Specific Japan Lessons-Learned Activities page.