SODDY-DAISY, Tenn. (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is imposing a $70,000 fine against the Tennessee Valley Authority for violations found at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in 2012.
The Chattanooga Times Free Press (https://bit.ly/1BwBRUa) reports federal regulators decided the civil penalty was warranted after finding that TVA contract workers did not maintain required fire watches at the plant near Soddy-Daisy and then tried to cover up the error by falsifying records.
NRC Regional Administrator Victor McCree said on Wednesday that he was imposing the fine to emphasize the importance not only of implementing the fire protection plan but of identifying violations promptly. He noted that NRC inspectors found the violation, not TVA.
“The potential consequences of missed fire watches concern us,” McCree said in a statement. “Although there are other fire protection features, fire watches are an important part of the plant’s overall fire protection strategy, especially in areas where other equipment may be temporarily unavailable.”
TVA fired the workers responsible and said it won’t contest the penalty. Sequoyah site vice president John Carlin says TVA has upgraded equipment and procedures and improved its oversight to avoid a reoccurrence of the problem.
“This was not consistent with TVA and Sequoyah standards and we’ve taken aggressive steps to correct this problem,” Carlin said. “We take this very seriously, and those involved were removed and they may no longer work at TVA nuclear facilities.”
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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, https://www.timesfreepress.com
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