Beaver Valley nuclear plant required to complete earthquake risk evaluation by 2017

The list of nuclear plants in the United States required to perform an earthquake risk evaluation has decreased from 33 to 20, although the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station remains on that list.

As part of a reaction to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission required all nuclear plants to re-evaluate their earthquake risk.

However, 13 of those plants were recently removed from those requirements because they were determined to have a low to moderate risk of earthquake damage.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the Beaver Valley plant remained on the list because of new data that shows where the plant falls on the “ground-motion response spectrum compared to the largest earthquake it was designed to resist.”

Because it remains on the list, Beaver Valley must complete a “seismic probabilistic risk assessment” by Sept. 30, 2017.

FirstEnergy Corp. spokeswoman Jennifer Young said Beaver Valley has started that assessment and will meet the deadline “without a challenge.”

Remaining on the NRC’s list isn’t a red flag or a bad sign, she added. It just means officials at the plant have to do more investigating when it comes to seismic vulnerability.

“The important thing is the plant is still safe and meeting all of the requirements for protecting against seismic events,” Young said. “The plant is not in violation or out of compliance, but we’re just looking at new data to make sure no new additional measures have to be taken to protect the plant.”

In addition, any changes that might have to be made are “relatively minor,” Young said.

Officials have purchased new equipment and monitors for the spent fuel pool at the plant, all in the name of protecting against seismic events.

“We make those investments when we identify the need for them,” she said. “It’s just part of the way we ensure the safety of these plants now and for the future.”

http://www.timesonline.com/news/energy/beaver-valley-nuclear-plant-required-to-complete-earthquake-risk-evaluation/article_dbb4265c-7d8d-11e5-bd61-0f93da8dbc24.html