NRC finds safety violation at Md. Calvert Cliffs nuke
Date: 24-Sep-01
Country: USA
Author: Scott DiSavino
The NRC, in a statement, characterized the findings as "yellow," meaning it is an issue of substantial importance to safety that will result in additional NRC inspection.
The plant, located in Lusby, Md., is operated by Constellation Nuclear, a unit of diversified energy giant Constellation Energy Group Inc. of Baltimore.
The violation is based on an NRC inspection conducted in June and July of this year that looked into the failure of an auxiliary feedwater pump during a test on May 16.
The auxiliary feedwater system is a backup system that provides water to the plant's steam generators in the event the main feedwater system is lost.
The NRC said its inspectors found Constellation workers failed to adhere to maintenance instructions during maintenance on the pump and applied too much sealant to the bearing housing, contaminating the bearing oil which resulted in the bearing failure.
NRC officials classify certain conditions at nuclear power plants as being one of four colors which delineate increasing levels of severity. The findings begin with "green" and progress in severity to "white," "yellow" or "red."
The NRC said the company has taken corrective action to correct the problem and the pump was tested satisfactorily.
