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NRC: Fire protection issues at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

By Trang Do - Bio | Email
Posted by Dana Franks - Email

ATHENS, AL (WAFF) - TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has a fire response problem.

Recent inspections raised some safety concerns.

They are concerns that could lead to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission civil penalty.

Inspectors found that these potential issues pose no immediate threat to workers or neighbors of the plant.

But both the NRC and the TVA are working to improve fire safety at the nuclear plant.

Fire protection inspections at TVA's Browns Ferry plant in April and October have raised four areas of concern with the NRC. 

Browns Ferry spokesman Craig Beasley said the plant is switching to more stringent standards, set by the National Fire Protection Association, and that's why the red flags have come up.

"Transitioning from where we are now to where we we're going to be in the future is a matter of years. We do have still in place the very robust and very strong fire protection measures that we've always had," Beasley said. 

Some of the potential issues include improving the physical layout of the building to provide better fire protection, emergency lighting during fire scenarios, and certain employee procedures that could cause a problem in the event of a fire.

But NRC spokesman Roger Hannah said there is no reason to panic.

"Because of the compensatory measures that they have in place and the steps that they've taken to date, there are not immediate safety concerns at the plant but these are fire protection issues that TVA will have to address going forward," Hannah said.

These are concerns that are not being taken lightly.

Back in 1975 there was a fire at the Browns Ferry plant.

No one was injured, but it took about 18 months to repair all of the damage.

"We've already taken some corrective action, some immediate steps such as changing procedures and implementing compensatory measures like fire watches," Beasley said.

"We'll take what other steps are necessary."

The full NRC report with the findings of the October inspection won't be completed until December and that's when the NRC will determine for sure if TVA is in definite violation of any fire safety regulations.

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