* KWQC…
A “near miss” at the Cordova nuclear power plant. Water flooding from Unit 1. Workers exposed. And a scheme to cover it all up.
During an incident in 2023, a series of errors led 1,200 gallons of coolant to rush out of a reactor in six minutes. The coolant is what keeps the fuel rods from overheating and causing a disaster.
But the plant never told anyone. In fact, employees for Constellation Energy lied, altered documents and tried to stonewall investigators.
That’s according to a report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that details just how close the plant came to a major incident. […]
Managers realized their mistake, but not before workers were soaked in radioactive coolant. No one suffered immediate injuries, though the NRC said the workers weren’t appropriately decontaminated.
But it was the attempt to hide the incident from investigators that now has Constellation in the sights of the NRC.
The full NRC report is here.
- Michael McLean - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:01 pm:
The NRC uncovered the willful procedure violations and is now weighing escalated enforcement. That’s exactly how independent regulation should function.
The report says that the coolant spill was contained within the plant, worker doses stayed below limits, and nothing was released off-site, this is good.
And ‘defense-in-depth’ worked: even with the drain valves left open, the reactor was never in danger of uncovering fuel. Operators halted the loss in six minutes.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:17 pm:
===this is good===
Sure, Jan.
“The investigation showed that on March 28, 2023, an (SRO) overseeing Unit 1’s outage work activities became aware of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) drain down event due to the mispositioning of approximately 177 safety-related hydraulic control units (HCU) accumulator drain valves. Despite this knowledge, for 10 days, the SRO inaccurately attributed the event to broken hoses and submitted an inaccurate CAP document (i.e., Work Group Evaluation (WGE)). The SRO did not rectify this inaccurate information until April 7, 2023. Through the SROs sworn testimony and admission, he was aware of the facts of what happened on March 28, 2023, and admitted to investigators that he submitted an incomplete and inaccurate WGE to the licensee. In his testimony, the individual stated he knew the submitted WGE was false when he sent it. The SRO said fear of a particular senior manager’s anger kept him from providing complete and accurate information.”
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:17 pm:
Oh yeah, — THATS — why we stopped building these.
- Perrid - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:18 pm:
Pretty bad timing, as activists are trying so hard to get more nukes built here and around the country.
- Atlas - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:34 pm:
There’s a pretty big solar spill happening right now in southern Illinois. People are being soaked in photons and reporting light to moderate tanning. Some are reporting the need for a second cold beer. If only there was a way to harness what God gives us for free every day instead of literally splitting atoms….
- Ukrainian Village Usurper - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:43 pm:
The fearmongering surrounding nuclear is quite tiresome. Illinois is half powered by nuclear–the worst domestic incident we’ve had with a nuclear power plant was Three Mile Island..and guess what! They’re starting one of those reactors back up!
With increased demand for electricity comes increased demand for nuclear. That’s totally okay in my book. But alongside increased demand and construction needs to come increased oversight and regulation so that these “near misses” don’t happen and when they do it’s impossible for these utility companies to cover it all up.
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
Solar power hasn’t caused a disaster in quite some time.
It begs the question…what else has been covered up?
- Macon Deliberations - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:45 pm:
I was in the womb in Lake County when the near meltdown in Zion. I am cautiously optimistic about thorium nuclear but this article lays bare potential risk https://borderlessmag.org/2023/11/27/after-decades-of-waiting-west-chicagos-final-radiation-cleanup-begins/
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:46 pm:
Major lawsuits from contaminated workers…coming soon?
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:50 pm:
- No one suffered immediate injuries, though the NRC said the workers weren’t appropriately decontaminated. -
Immediate is the key weasel word.
- Dotnonymous x - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:58 pm:
The latency period for malignancies is from a few weeks to 40 years.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 12:58 pm:
===needs to come increased oversight and regulation===
lol
The opposite is happening in the real world.
- Dupage - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 2:05 pm:
@12:45pm===In addition to what is mentioned above, there is more. For years the company was giving away “free dirt” for fill and landscaping to whoever wanted it. Builders, landscapers, gardeners, and the general public were encouraged to help themselves to a large mountain of radioactive dirt that the company produced. No records were kept. People in other towns around West Chicago, and unincorporated DuPage County have no way to know if their yard is contaminated or not, unless they buy a Geiger counter.
- Loyal Virus - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 2:54 pm:
I *survived* Three Mile Island & no thank you. Glad this incident was found out & hope the workers who didn’t get Silkwood showers immediately are radiation-free.
- Candy Dogood - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 3:32 pm:
Some of y’all really seem to be missing that the bigger problem here isn’t the accident, it is the cover up.
- Annonin' - Friday, Jun 6, 25 @ 3:41 pm:
Constellation/Exelon/ComEd lied…shocked. Thank goodness Trump deregulation will void these rules and we can return to the glory days of Cold Water Creek in MO.