SPECIAL INSPECTION LAUNCHED RE BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

On November 14, 2018, NRC launched a special inspection at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant to determine how and why a diver received a dose rate alarm during underwater work in the Unit 1 equipment pit.  The plant, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is located near Athens, Alabama – approximately 32 miles west of Huntsville.  

On November 7, 2018, a diver working on an underwater steam dryer system received an electronic dose rate alarm when he approached the equipment pit wall to manipulate a cable.  Upon receiving the alarm, the diver immediately left the pit and his unintended dose did not exceed regulatory limits.  The licensee later determined that a basket of used filters had been moved from the spent fuel pool into a position near the equipment wall and this was not communicated to the next shift.  

NRC’s two-person inspection team will identify the circumstances surrounding the event; review the licensee’s immediate response to the alarm; evaluate their corrective actions and causal analysis; and, assess the program for diving, work control, radiological surveys and movement of highly radioactive material.  The onsite portion of the inspection took several days.  A report documenting the results of the inspection is expected to be issued within 45 days of its completion.  

For additional information, please contact Roger Hannah at (404) 997-4417 or Joey Ledford at (404) 997-4416.