NRC issues report on emergency generator at South Carolina nuclear plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalized its inspection report related to an inoperable emergency diesel generator at the V.C. Summer nuclear power plant in Jenkinsville, S.C.
NRC classified its finding as “white,” which reflects low-to-moderate safety significance. The finding stems from the discovery of a malfunctioning fuel oil piping for one of the emergency diesel generators during routine testing in November 2022.
After that, NRC conducted a review and found plant operator Dominion Energy had failed to make necessary maintenance or design changes. This raised concerns about the plant’s preparedness for emergencies involving the loss of offsite power. The agency outlined its findings in detail in an October 2023 inspection report.
During a regulatory conference, Dominion Energy provided new information, including an analysis that showed that the emergency diesel generator could operate for six hours. As a result of this new information, the NRC concluded that the issue’s safety significance was lower than initially assessed.
“Maintaining the operational readiness of all safety-related equipment is crucial for the plant’s ability to respond effectively in emergencies,” NRC Region II Administrator Laura Dudes said. “While not indicative of immediate risk, this finding underscores the need for continuous vigilance and improvement in the plant’s corrective action process.”
The agency will also conduct an inspection at the plant to ensure that Dominion Energy has thoroughly analyzed the root cause of the issue and has taken steps to prevent recurrence.
The results of this inspection will be made available in a publicly accessible report.
