Thread: Workers return to Nebraska nuclear plant closed by flooding

Published Thursday July 28, 2011

Nuke plant reopening takes shape

By Nancy Gaarder
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Federal regulators said Wednesday that they plan a detailed and public process before the flood-idled Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station again generates power.

Regional officials with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met with the plant's top executives Wednesday at Omaha's Doubletree Hotel to discuss the process for inspecting, repairing and resuming operations. The meeting, open to the public, drew about 75 people — mostly regulators and OPPD officials.

"We're going to take a close look, we're going to take a hard look, and we intend to do that in the full purview of the public," said Elmo Collins, regional administrator of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

David Bannister, chief nuclear officer at Fort Calhoun, said after the meeting that he believes the plant "absolutely" will reopen by the end of the year. OPPD won't know how quickly that can happen until the Missouri River drops and they can get their first look at the damage.

Much of the plant is surrounded by about 2 feet of floodwaters, but behind various barriers, ranging from an earthen berm to sandbagged walls to a temporary, water-filled tube. Water has been kept out of critical plant buildings, the NRC said, but both regulators and the utility are concerned about damage to underground pipes and cables, as well as any damage from currents, debris and unstable soil.

The Army Corps of Engineers has said it will publish a schedule this week for reducing releases from its six upstream Missouri River reservoirs. Heavy winter and spring runoff above the dams has led to unprecedented controlled flooding.

The river is expected to stay above flood stage for at least another several weeks.

The sooner the plant can safely produce power, the less OPPD will have to spend to replace power from the Fort Calhoun plant. In June alone, loss of electricity generated by Fort Calhoun cost OPPD about $6.1 million, the utility has said.

Bannister said after the meeting that it's too early to tell if the outage will affect electricity rates.

Once the plant resumes operation, the need for additional monitoring will continue, Collins said. Inspections will be necessary in case flooding has weakened or corroded equipment in ways not immediately apparent, he said.

"We want to watch it over the next period of time — maybe it will be months, maybe it will be years — to make sure there isn't accelerated degradation."

Over the next two weeks, OPPD will submit its plan to federal regulators for restarting the plant, Bannister said.

John Herman, OPPD division director for engineering, said the utility will tap an independent committee to review its plans, a step that caught the NRC's eye.

"I'm encouraged by news of an independent group to review your actions," said Kriss Kennedy, the NRC's regional director for reactor projects.

Herman said they expect no structural problems. The plant's most important buildings are anchored in bedrock. Additionally, those buildings were designed to withstand flooding about 7 feet higher than has happened.

In response to a question from the NRC, OPPD said it lacks the staff to do all the work needed to restart the plant.

"We're experts in making power, we're not experts in flooding," Bannister said. "We're going to need extra help. We know that."

Linda Ryan, an Omaha resident, was among the handful of members of the public to question the NRC and OPPD.

She asked whether members of the public would be able to see for themselves the plant's condition before it opens — via a tour of the plant by local reporters.

Her question drew no public response from OPPD.

After the meeting, OPPD chief executive officer Gary Gates said the utility is committed to keeping its process open and that it will allow such a tour.

"There's nothing to hide there," he said.

Ken Dowdy, steward for one of the unions at the plant, said utility officials couldn't hide something if they wanted to. More than 700 people work there.

"We're in the plant every day," said Dowdy, a member of the executive board of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1483. "Our families live downstream of it. If we didn't believe the plant was safe, we're protected by law in bringing it up to you."

Contact the writer: 402-444-1102, nancy.gaarder@owh.com

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110728/NEWS01/707289855

Workers return to Nebraska nuclear plant closed by flooding

OMAHA, Neb | Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:29pm EDT

OMAHA, Neb (Reuters) - About 120 Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station employees moved back into the flooded plant's administration building on Monday.

The plant, which was idled April 9 for routine refueling and maintenance, remained shut down this summer after Missouri River floodwater spread across the riverside site near Blair, Nebraska, in June.

The river has dropped about two feet since its crest, allowing workers to dismantle elevated walkways and parking lots to reopen at the 478-megawatt plant.

The river was more than four feet above flood stage Monday at Blair. It is expected to be back in its banks in September.

Omaha Public Power District, which operates the plant, has sent plans for restarting the reactor to the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(Reporting by David Hendee; Editing by James Kelleher and Jerry

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/ ... EX20110815

I can guarantee you that by next flood season there will a great deal of restructuring and rebuilding the water barriers between this nuclear plant and the Missouri River flood plane.

Published Friday September 2, 2011

Fort Calhoun cleanup begins

Workers at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station have begun washing the muck off the site now that the Missouri River has mostly receded.

The Omaha Public Power District on Thursday released a video of the cleanup. In the video, workers wash down a parking lot that had been covered by about 4 feet of water. It also shows workers walking on dry ground.

Workers previously walked between various buildings via elevated gangways. The video also shows a shallow scour in a grassy area and trapped water pooling near a garage.

Lisa Olson, spokeswoman for OPPD, said the river has mostly returned to its banks at the plant. Crews are removing dams that had kept the river at bay, she said.

The utility is awaiting approval of its plan to return the plant back to service. A 113-page outline of the plan has been posted at http://www.oppd.com/index.htm

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110902/NEWS01/110909967

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