WASHINGTON — Nuclear watchdog groups say that an internal report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on fire safety at nuclear plants shows that regulators don’t have enough information to know whether its new fire rules will ensure safety.
The NRC, in response, said the new fire plan was the product of years of extensive research, would improve safety and was ready to use.
Safety and cost are key issues that must be addressed as utilities decide whether to move ahead with a new round of nuclear plant construction. Fire safety at complex nuclear plants is crucial because fire is a large factor in the risk of a meltdown.
The NRC revised its fire-safety rules for commercial reactors after a fire in 1975 at the Browns Ferry plant in Alabama threatened the plant’s ability to shut down.
The new plan, which is voluntary, uses modeling and an evaluation of the probable risks of fire that are tailored to the characteristics of individual plants. A plant’s operator must perform engineering analyses and show that its fire protection systems will meet safety standards.
However, Jim Warren of the watchdog group NC WARN said that experts had warned about problems with the new risk-based system. He said the new regulations were weaker than the watchdogs wanted, and charged that the NRC was trying to sweep problems under the rug.
