LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
As heightened oversight at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant continues, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission talked about overall safety there during a public meeting Thursday.
The NRC reported in its annual assessment that Browns Ferry operated safely in 2011.
Meanwhile, the investigation into a red finding safety violation that occurred the previous year is ongoing. The NRC issued the red finding in May, 2011 after discovering plant workers had found a stuck valve on a cooling system. The incident happened in October, 2010.
After the first of three inspections related to the problem, NRC officials said they discovered major issues with how Browns Ferry handled maintenance and with its programs for fixing equipment problems.
On Thursday, they said the Tennessee Valley Authority-owned power plant had made strides to change the safety culture.
Two of the NRC inspections connected with the investigation are completed. The third and most intensive inspection will happen once TVA officials tell the nuclear regulatory commission they are ready.
"We spent over 10,000 hours in inspection at the plant in 2011, and that number is probably going to be significantly higher this year," said NRC spokesperson Joey Ledford.
"We've been working very hard to address that issue. We have done a number of things - physical changes to plant, separating out of electrical cables to ensure better a fire protection program. But we still have a ways to go," said TVA spokesperson Ray Golden.
TVA officials said they expect the final inspection to happen sometime between the end of this year and early 2013.
The NRC has the power to shut Browns Ferry down if inspectors are not satisfied with what they find.
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The NRC reported in its annual assessment that Browns Ferry operated safely in 2011.
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