Middleboro Review et al

Proposed NRC rule changes raise safety concerns By  Christine Legere Posted May 23, 2018  Revisions aimed at curbing exemptions sought after reactor shutdowns. PLYMOUTH — A U.S. senator who has been a longtime critic of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s oversight of the nation’s 99 nuclear power reactors is calling the latest report on the agency’s proposed rule changes for reactor decommissioning “an industry wish list that makes exemptions the rule.” The rule changes are particularly significant to the residents Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., represents, as the state’s only nuclear reactor, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, is set to permanently shut down by May 31, 2019. Pilgrim’s coastal location makes it particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The rules contain no new requirements for considering environmental impacts, Markey said. “This is a missed opportunity to put down a marker for smarter decommissioning,” Markey said in...

NUCLEAR DISASTER: WITH CONTROVERSIAL REACTOR DOWN SINCE STORMS, TENSIONS RUN EXTREMELY HIGH IN PLYMOUTH March 28, 2018  By  MIRIAM WASSER Ed. note: For extensive background on the fight over nuclear energy in Mass, check out Miriam Wasser’s oral history covering 50 years of protests against the power plant in Plymouth at  pilgrimsoralhistory.org . As the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth remained offline for the 22nd consecutive day, supporters and opponents of the plant gathered about six miles away in the dimly lit ballroom of Hotel 1620 this week for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual assessment meeting. By law, the federal agency is required to host a meeting every year in communities with nuclear reactors to brief the public about the status of the plant and talk about any oversight or safety issues. Like in years past,  those for and against the plant came with brightly colored signs and prepared speeches, and eyed each other ca...

WHERE IS 'DON'T MAKE WAVES' CHARLIE BAKER?  ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL STILL?  Problems at Pilgrim nuclear plant continue By  Christine Legere   Posted Mar 26, 2018 Incorrectly installed clamps must be fixed before reactor starts up again PLYMOUTH — Another equipment snafu at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was discovered on Sunday, this time in the critical safety system used to stop fission from occurring in the plant’s reactor during an emergency. It marked the third mechanical problem at the 45-year-old beleaguered plant in as many weeks. The reactor is going into its fourth week of shutdown. During a check on Sunday, a Pilgrim engineer found the support clamps for nine pipes that are part of the hydraulic control rod system appeared to be incorrectly installed. The control rods are a key component in getting a reactor to shut down. They contain a powdered form of neutron-absorbing boron, slowing or stopping the fission proce...

DOES ANYONE NOTICE CHARLIE BAKER'S ABSENCE WITH A SERIOUS PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE?  Pilgrim review draws support, criticism By  Christine Legere   Posted Mar 27, 2018 Crowd at annual assessment divided over safety issues. PLYMOUTH — The crowd at Tuesday night’s discussion of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s 2017 performance was divided between opponents and plant workers and supporters, with the latter turning out in larger numbers. At times the back-and-forth got rowdy, with opposing speakers being shouted down and supporting speakers greeted with hoots and clapping. The meeting started with a statement from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which hosted the meeting. Pilgrim operators must do more than show progress and improvement, said David Lew, the commission’s deputy regional administrator. They need to demonstrate “sustainability.” “You do that by ensuring that you address underlying issues that have been identified,” Lew told...

Transformer replacement keeps Pilgrim offline By  Christine Legere   Shutdown continues with nuclear plant’s annual performance assessment days away. PLYMOUTH — As the historically contentious annual assessment meeting to discuss Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s performance nears, the 45-year-old reactor remains in cold shutdown, marking 17 days since it has churned out power for the grid. And it will remain offline for as long as it takes to replace a crucial start-up transformer. No one is providing a time frame for the work, although a spokesman for Entergy Corp., the plant’s owner-operator, said a replacement was on-site. Operators shut down the reactor March 6 because of a suspected leak in a system needed to heat water before it is pumped into the reactor vessel. While workers addressed this problem, the reactor lost off-site power a week later, at the height of the March 13 blizzard. The two 345-kilovolt lines and the 23-kilovolt line that connect...