Good luck with #SusquehannaNuclear plant, #Bezos. You're going to need it!

#NRC Issues Event Notification for Susquehanna in Pennsylvania

Oct 13, 2021

By: Targeted News Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 -- "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the following event notification (No. 55514) involving Susquehanna, Pennsylvania:

AUTOMATIC REACTOR SCRAM AFTER MAIN TURBINE TRIP

"At 1321 EDT on October 11, 2021, Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Unit 2 reactor automatically scrammed due to a trip of the Main Turbine.

"Unit 2 reactor was being operated at approximately 95 percent RTP [rated thermal power] with no evolutions in progress. The Control Room received indication of a Main Turbine trip with both divisions of RPS [Reactor Protection System] actuated and all control rods inserted. Turbine bypass valves opened automatically to control reactor pressure and subsequently failed open causing the reactor to depressurize. When reactor pressure reached approximately 560 psig, the operations crew manually closed the Main Steam Isolation Valves (MISVs) to stop the depressurization. Reactor water level lowered to -31 inches causing Level 3 (+13 inches) isolations. No [automatic] ECCS [Emergency Core Cooling System] actuations occurred. HPCI [High Pressure Coolant Injection] and RCIC [Reactor Core Isolation Cooling] were manually initiated to control reactor water level. The Operations crew subsequently maintained reactor water level at the normal operating band using RCIC and reactor pressure was controlled with HPCI in pressure control mode and main steam line drains. The Reactor Recirculation Pumps tripped as designed on EOC-RPT [end of cycle recirculation pump trip]."

Source:
https://energycentral.com/news/nrc-issues-event-notification-susquehanna-pennsylvania

#NRC #NRCEventNotification #Pennsylvania #BigData #NuclearPlants #AWS

Blast from the past -- 2013, to be exact. But hey, aging #NuclearPlants aren't getting any younger... And who cares that #SusquehannaNuclear plant unit 1 is prone to #flooding. I'm sure that won't happen again, right?

Inspectors Dispatched To #Susquehanna #NuclearPlant After 3 Unexpected Shutdowns

January 14, 2013

BERWICK, Pa. (AP) — "Federal regulators began examining a nuclear plant in northeastern Pennsylvania on Monday following three unexpected shutdowns, but the facility's operator said it is safe and stable.

"A three-member team from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission [#NRC] arrived at the Susquehanna power plant near #BerwickPennsylvania to look into operator performance, equipment reliability and decision-making, the agency said.

"The move comes after three unplanned reactor shutdowns between Nov. 9 and Dec. 19. None of the incidents posed a safety threat, said Joe Scopelliti, a spokesman for Allentown-based PPL Corp., which operates Susquehanna.

"'We did a thorough investigation of the causes of the shutdowns,' said Scopelliti, noting the company is cooperating with the inspection.

"The most recent shutdown occurred after a valve failed to open during plant startup, temporarily interrupting the water supply to one of the facility's two reactors.

"The Nov. 9 shutdown was attributed to problems with a computer system that monitors water levels. A Dec. 16 malfunction happened during routine valve testing on Unit 2's main turbine system.

"Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the nuclear agency, said it's not clear how long the inspection will take. A report containing findings and recommendations is due 45 days after the inspection is completed.

"Recommendations could include increased oversight, Sheehan said. He noted Susquehanna's Unit 1 reactor is already under a higher level of oversight because of a flooding event in 2010."

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/inspectors-dispatched-to-susquehanna-nuclear-plant-after-3-unexpected-shutdowns/

#RethinkNotRestart #OldNukes #NoNukes #Pennsylvania #ClimateChange

Why the push for more #NuclearPlants? Blame it on #BigTech (and #AI and #cryptocurrency)

Tech companies want #NuclearPower. Some utilities are throwing up roadblocks

Story by Spencer Kimball
August 9, 2024

"Tech companies are increasingly looking to directly connect data centers to nuclear plants as they race to secure clean [sic] energy to power #ArtificialIntelligence, sparking resistance from some utilities over the potential impact on the #ElectricGrid.

"#DataCenters, the computer warehouses that run the Internet, in some cases now require a gigawatt or more of power, comparable to the average capacity of a nuclear reactor in the U.S.

[...]

Amazon's nuclear agreement

"Co-locating data centers next to nuclear plants already faces controversy.

"In March, Amazon Web Services [#AWS] bought a data center powered by the 41-year-old #SusquehannaNuclear plant in #Pennsylvania from #TalenEnergy for $650 million. But the agreement to directly sell power to the AWS data center from the nuclear plant already faces opposition from utilities American Electric Power and #Exelon, who have filed complaints at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/tech-companies-want-nuclear-power-some-utilities-are-throwing-up-roadblocks/ar-AA1oyZCH