Posted on 05/21/2011 5:28:24 PM PDT by RS_Rider
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Friday that it found additional technical issues with Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s new AP1000 nuclear power reactor design, prompting critics to call for a suspension of the agency's license review process.
The commission raised questions regarding the shield building situated over the reactor in the AP1000 design, as well as the peak accident pressures expected within the containment unit. The agency said it would consider what impact the technical issues will have on scheduled AP1000-related application reviews after its staff examines Westinghouse's response.
As far back as October 2009, the commission had raised concerns about the design of the safety shield, whether it would remain intact in the event of natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes or man-made disasters.
Westinghouse CEO Aris Candris said after a news conference yesterday at the company's Cranberry headquarters that the issues raised by the commission do not pertain to the AP1000's passive safety features. Candris believes the issues may be resolved in Westinghouse's response in a few weeks.
"The NRC will always place its commitment to public safety and a transparent process before any other considerations," NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko said in a statement.
Federal officials cannot license any new nuclear power plants that use the reactor design until they decide the problems have been fixed.
Westinghouse said the commission raised concerns about "a few remaining items," but none are "safety significant" and several were identified by the company.
"Westinghouse remains highly confident that we will get the NRC certification in a timely manner," spokesman Vaughn Gilbert said.
Read more: Feds raise questions about Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_738220.html#ixzz1N2GxdfZf
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
Now if they would work closely with the Washington sanctioned GE, they may be able to jump this little hurdle that Washington has created.
Is that the case, or is this still an American company?
“I don’t think the looters will allow their pet GE to be rivaled by their competitor.”
You got it!
Westinghouse Nuclear is now owned by Toshiba. I think it was 2007 when it was sold to Toshiba by British Nuclear.
Hey brother, good to hear from you.
Did you check out the date when they expect the US plant to be licensed.....2021. I think the tsunami put the kibosh on any domestic plants.
After those issues are resolved, the NRC will raise more. Then when those are resolved, the NRC will raise yet more.
The NRC will not be licensing any new reactor designs as long as Obama is in office and Democrats run the Senate.
No. Westinghouse (the whole company) was broken up a while ago; most of the non-nuclear power plant design and maintenance part went to Siemens (Germany). The commercial and small appliance civilian manufacturing went to somebody else.
The nuke part stayed “isolated” - mostly for the USN nuclear design info.
Yeah - I agree. Too little info in this press release to figure out anything.
“If somebody wants to build a nuclear power plant they can, it’s just that it will bankrupt them because, well heck because we can.
This is another in a long series of questions that the NRC has been asking Westinghouse in regards to the Shield Building of the AP1000. NRC rotates staff that performs reviews. Seems that a new staffer(s) trying to make their mark. Westinghouse has successfully defended the assumptions behind the Shield Building calculations several times already.
We all know how trustworthy TOSHIBA is with sensitive Navy secrets! What the hell was the government thinking letting Toshiba buy Westinghouse? Did anything even happen to them when they screwed us with the sub propulsion tooling?
I've never owned or purchased a Toshiba product since then and never will.
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