Nuclear Power Plant - Man-made hole found in pipe

[CentralFlGal]

Investigation of hole continues at Turkey Point
BY JOHN DORSCHNER

Investigators have made no progress in finding who made a small hole in a pipe at the Turkey Point nuclear plant, the head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday in Miami.

Nils Diaz said several agencies are continuing to investigate the man-made hole, which he said was 3/16 of an inch, slightly larger than the 1/8-inch earlier reported.

''We are trying to get to the end of this,'' said Diaz. More than 50 FBI agents have investigated the hole, and Florida Power & Light has offered a $100,000 award for information.

Diaz made his statements after visiting Turkey Point on Friday.

Meanwhile, in Washington, a new pro-nuclear group is preparing for its first formal press conference. The Clean and Safe Energy Coalition is led by former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore.

Charter members include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the American Iron and Steel Institute, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Electric Consumers' Alliance.

Diaz said pro-nuclear forces were getting a popular boost because environmental issues such as ''global warming,'' the soaring cost of fossil fuels and the complex geo-politics of depending on other areas of the world for oil.

Asked about about FPL's announcement that it plans to file an application for a new nuclear plant, Diaz said the approval process ''has been changed.'' It used to be that a power company had to first get a permit to build a nuclear plant, then get an operating permit. In the new scenario, the two steps are combined into one.

The new process is ''more streamlined'' but still can take years, he said.

Art Stall, FPL's senior vice president in charge of its nuclear program, said the utility has yet to choose a site for a new plant, but it owns several properties that might be used for nuclear. He said it was obvious that a site that already has a nuclear plant, such as Turkey Point, would be easier to get permission for a new plant rather than starting with a completely new site.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/14399672.htm

[CentralFlGal]

Nuclear Chairman Admits Flaw In Turkey Point Security
Plant Had Surveillance Cameras, But They Weren't Set Up To Record

POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT April 21, 2006
UPDATED: 5:50 pm EDT April 21, 2006

MIAMI -- An investigation into a hole intentionally drilled into a pipe at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant has led to increased security, and a change in how surveillance cameras at the plant will be used.

Friday, the investigation brought the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to South Florida.

NRC Chairman Nils Diaz said that he thinks the hole, found earlier this month in a primary coolant pipe, was most likely made by a disgruntled worker Florida Power and Light employee or a contractor hired to do work during the plant shutdown.

The NRC is conducting its own investigation into the hole that was found while the unit was shutdown for routine maintenance and re-fueling.

"We take any attempt at a nuclear power plant no matter how small, very seriously," Diaz said.

But Diaz said he wants to assure the public there was no threat to safety -- and that no similar incident will happen again.

"We intend to make enough noise about this to try and discourage anybody from showing their discontent in this type of manner," Diaz said.

For the first time, Diaz said FP&L did have surveillance cameras outside and inside the containment building of unit three where the hole was drilled. But he admitted that while one or more of the cameras might have spotted something suspicious, the cameras were not set-up to record, so any image captured was not saved.

"That's one of the lessons learned is that from now on, I understand from Florida Power and Light, that the video is now going to be kept and therefore it would be usable," Diaz said.

There has been a reward of $100,000 on the table for a couple of weeks, but investigators say there has been no information forthcoming that would help identify who drilled the hole.

The hole was drilled in a pipe that carried super-heated, slightly radioactive water but that would have posed no significant safety issue, according to Diaz, even if the hole had not been discovered.

Diaz says FP&L and other nuclear plant operators will now begin doing more extensive background checks on employees and contractors to prevent something like this from happening again.

"It is a federal crime and we intend to make sure that everybody knows that," he said.

Diaz says the NRC is satisfied that Turkey Point is operating safely and has the right amount of security.

My husband has to take off his Bostonians at the airport for the "security" of the greater good, but we don't record images off cameras at nuclear power plants??

Someone pinch me.

[Stephanie]

There's obviously ALOT more that needs to be done to keep our nation secure.

[Rainband]

There's obviously ALOT more that needs to be done to keep our nation secure.

I agree.

[Lindaloo]

That is VERY scary that someone would be able to do that and go un-noticed!

[vbhoutex]

That is VERY scary that someone would be able to do that and go un-noticed!

WAY PAST SCARY!!!

And obviously an inside job!!! Only certain personnel are allowed access to certain areas, especially where those types of piping are located!!

I agree on the shoes and camera CFLGAL!!!!!