What, AGAIN??

LCO = Limited Condition of Operation (4.00 / 1)

I had to look it up, so I thought I'd provide it here, in case others had the same question.

In the mean time: wow.

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by: simplify @ Mon Dec 05, 2011 at 18:48:25 PM UTC

IamYV eh.. Iam VY (4.00 / 2)

Well finally there is proof that at Vermont Yankee they often can't tell their "A"'s from their "B"'s.

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by: BP @ Mon Dec 05, 2011 at 18:55:40 PM UTC

Good one! (0.00 / 0)

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by: Sue Prent @ Mon Dec 05, 2011 at 20:09:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

To be fair (3.00 / 2)

They would only need those generators to prevent a Fukushima-style meltdown in the case of an emergency.

And since there will never be a tidal wave on the CT river, everything is just fine, because there would never be any emergency where they would need those generators!

Besides they have 8 hours of battery backup, so those generators are really just for regulation fulfillment.  And that is why the Libertarians are so against regulations: so that nuclear power plants won't have to spend one dime on useless emergency backups they'll never need to use!

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by: Comrade Rutherford @ Mon Dec 05, 2011 at 19:14:25 PM UTC

I think the salient point here is (4.00 / 2)

that we have a poorly regulated, geriatric nuclear plant with known design flaws, whose already shaky performance outlook can be further compromised by an unlimited range of possible human errors.

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by: Sue Prent @ Mon Dec 05, 2011 at 20:14:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Reckless switch flipper (4.00 / 1)

Rumor has it Vermont Yankee hired the contractor guy who screwed up the siren test last month.

We are wondering if this guy was a licence operator and the investigation now wonders if it is.  

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by: Mike Mulligan @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 13:26:15 PM UTC

Herald & Times-Argus have it (0.00 / 0)

(paywalled) I have only the print story:
Southern Vermont - "Yankee auxiliary operator shuts off wrong equipment"

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by: stardust @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 15:21:47 PM UTC

AP: NRC to review Vermont Yankee repair mistake (0.00 / 0)

NRC to review Vermont Yankee repair mistake
December 6, 2011

VERNON, Vt.-A spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will review an incident at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in which one of the plant's emergency backup diesel generators was down for service and a plant technician mistakenly shut down the other one as well.

http://www.boston.com/news/loc...

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by: stardust @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 15:30:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

"Review?" (0.00 / 0)

What exactly does that mean?  Forgive me, NRC, if I'm skeptical.  

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by: Sue Prent @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 15:36:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

review (0.00 / 0)

There will be a written statement in the inspection report in three months about it.

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by: Mike Mulligan @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 16:08:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Attrition? (4.00 / 1)

Kind of a curious remark from the NRC's Sheehan in the Times- Argus

Sheehan said the auxiliary operator's mistake was not as a result of attrition at the plant, which Entergy Nuclear had complained about in its federal lawsuit against the state of Vermont.[...]
"The attrition has not had an impact on safety," said Sheehan, noting that the NRC's two resident inspectors continued to monitor for that and other safety issues."

What attrition is Sheehan referring to that has not had an impact? Are they short handed?

http://www.timesargus.com/arti...

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by: BP @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 17:19:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

...or are they laying people off in anticipation of a legal defeat? (0.00 / 0)

Well, Friday's incident certainly belongs under the heading of "reliability issues!"

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by: Sue Prent @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 17:52:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

exccept that (0.00 / 0)

it is a clever catch 22, if a plant is unreliable, there is a good change that something could then become unsafe. and we all know that only the NRC can think, write, discuss, breath, dream about safety.

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by: bmike @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 22:35:36 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

On Holiday (0.00 / 0)

Seems both plant inspectors today are in region I headquarters at King of Prussia Penn...all day...its 250 miles away.  

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by: Mike Mulligan @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 18:54:58 PM UTC

VY gone naked with no NRC inspectors? (0.00 / 0)

I called the VY NRC inspector's office today. The 10 hour per week admin girl answered the telephone in the NRC office at VY. I called the day before about the DG screw-up, she said I gave the inspectors your name. She said, "both inspectors aren't on site today, they are both at King of Prussia( Region I headquarters)."

At least half of yesterday and half of tomorrow is going to be eaten up with transportation time.  

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by: Mike Mulligan @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 20:55:06 PM UTC

Low population = low priority status. (0.00 / 0)

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by: Sue Prent @ Tue Dec 06, 2011 at 22:14:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]