NRC Says Y2K Audits At Nuclear Plants A Success

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Wednesday April 28 4:17 PM ET 

NRC Says Y2K Audits At Nuclear Plants A Success

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An audit of 12 U.S. nuclear plants 
showed the facilities on schedule to address their potential Year 
2000 computer problems and meet the industry's target date for 
readiness of July 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said 
Wednesday.  

``No problems were found at the plants that will interfere with the 
ability of their computers to control key safety systems starting 
next year,'' according to the NRC.  

The agency conducted the audits on-site between last September 
and January of this year.

The Year 2000, or Y2K problem refers to computers' potential 
inability to recognize dates beginning with Jan. 1, 2000 and beyond.
Many computer systems were designed to read only the last two 
digits of a calendar year.

If the problem is left uncorrected, these systems would read 
``2000,'' as ``1900'' and could cause widespread malfunctions to 
plant equipment and operations.  

The plants audited included Brunswick in North Carolina; Hope 
Creek in New Jersey; Davis Besse in Ohio; Wolf Creek in Kansas; 
Monticello in Minnesota; Seabrook in New Hampshire; Watts Bar 
in Tennessee; Limerick in Pennsylvania; Waterford in Louisiana; 
North Anna in Virginia; Braidwood in Illinois; and WNP-2 in 
Washington state.  

Since many nuclear plant operators own more than one site, the 
corporate-wide nature of the Y2K audits impacted more than the
12 plants, leaving successful results at 42 of the 103 operating 
plants in the country, NRC said.

The agency said it had no indication Y2K computer problems exist 
with safety-related systems in nuclear power plants. Most 
commercial reactors have protection systems that do not rely on 
computer dates and are not vulnerable to the ``bug.''  

Results of the audits and related information can be read at the 
NRC website: http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NEWS/year2000.html.

Sandy Perle
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1205

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -
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