NRC: News Release - Region II - 2006-007 - NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to Vogtle Nuclear Plant to Review Cause of Repeat Leakage in Shutdown Cooling System

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NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II
61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303
www.nrc.gov

No. II-06-007		March 24, 2006
CONTACT:	Ken Clark (404) 562-4416 Roger D. Hannah (404) 562-4417	E-mail: opa2@nrc.gov
NRC SENDS SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO VOGTLE NUCLEAR PLANT TO REVIEW CAUSE OF REPEAT LEAKAGE IN SHUTDOWN COOLING SYSTEM Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II office in Atlanta has sent a special team of inspectors to the Vogtle nuclear power plant, operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Company near Waynesboro, Ga., to look into the cause of repeat weld leakage in a small line which is part of the plant’s Unit 2 Residual Heat Removal (RHR) system. Dr. William Travers, administrator of the agency’s Atlanta office, said the leak posed no threat to the health and safety of plant personnel and resulted in no outside release of radioactive material. It contained small amount of reactor coolant which leaked into the containment building. As a result, the reactor, which experienced similar weld leaks in December of 2005 and February of this year, was shut down March 20 for repair and modification. He said air samples inside the containment building initially indicated the possibility of a small reactor cooling system leak, Also, a camera-equipped robot indicated the presence of a small steam leak on the bypass line of the RHR system suction valve. Dr. Travers said the NRC special inspection team will review circumstances associated with the event and monitor the company’s efforts to identify and correct the cause of the problem.