Nuclear Agency Maintains All Plants Y2K Clear

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

Wednesday November 17 4:32 AM ET 

Nuclear Agency Maintains All Plants Y2K Clear  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
reassured concerned lawmakers Tuesday that the nation's 103 nuclear 
power plants will see no disruptions as a result of the millennium 
rollover.  

NRC stressed in a letter to Utah Republican Sen. Robert Bennett, 
chairman of a Senate Y2K select panel, that since Nov. 4, all 
commercial reactor sites have been completely prepared for the 
potential Year 2000 computer bug known as Y2K.  

``The commission is confident...that the potential for Y2K-related 
disruptions have been addressed by NRC licensees,'' the NRC said in 
the letter.  

On Nov. 1, Bennett's Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 
Technology Problem, wrote to NRC Chairman Greta Joy Dicus, asking 
nuclear regulators to provide better information on reactor safety 
and contingency plans before the new year.  

Computer systems which read only the last two digits of a year may 
experience faults on Jan. 1, 2000, reading the new year as 1900 
instead of 2000. Experts fear massive problems when the new year 
begins if systems are not fixed.  

Bennett, in a statement, said he was pleased with the agency's 
response to the committee's questions.  

``The NRC has responded to our concerns in a detailed and candid 
fashion, and I am increasingly confident that plants will be safe,'' 
Bennett said.  

``Voluntary measures by the industry, such as increased emergency 
fuel supply and additional staffing, will provide an additional level 
of assurance.''  

NRC was asked to inform the committee on the process it took to 
independently validate plant Y2K readiness, the availability of 
emergency fuel supplies, plant shut-down criteria and minimum safety 
standards.  

NRC said there are no requirements that plants have a 30-45 day 
supply of emergency diesel generator fuel, nor do they believe 
additional supplies are necessary.  

The agency based its assumptions on the reliability of the power grid 
and past successes at sustaining safety systems during events such as 
hurricanes, that typically demand a six to seven day supply of diesel 
fuel.  

Some plants are undertaking voluntary efforts to ``top off'' 
supplies, increase staffing and conduct additional monitoring and 
inspection.  

Under the existing regulatory framework, the NRC will not shut down 
any plants unless specific criteria are met, which may include 
situations in which ``systems or components are inoperable due to a 
Y2K deficiency.''  

NRC also said it plans no suspension of technical regulations during 
the millennium rollover, the panel said.  

``The nuclear power industry, like many others well-prepared for Y2K, 
is a closely regulated and highly monitored industry that is 
intimately familiar with the danger of failure and the safety risks 
involved,'' said Bennett.  

NRC went to great lengths to demonstrate each reactor's Y2K 
compliance was reviewed by an independent industry source.  

``Industry audits included 56 audits by utility quality assurance 
departments, 36 cross-utility audits and 46 third-party industry 
audits,'' NRC told the Senate panel.  

``In short, all reactor sites have received at least one independent 
industry audit of their Y2K program.''  

Anti-nuclear groups have said repeatedly that industry preparedness 
was tainted by the lack of outside reviews.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sander C. Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
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