According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recently warned against the oversights that occurred during the process of constructing facilities for the nuclear power generation. The warning has been based on findings, which date from earlier this year and are connected to the concrete and reinforcing steel faults discovered in the foundation of the Savannah River Site (SRS) facility. This construction had been designed to generate fuel for nuclear reactors out of weapons-grade plutonium.

 

According to the report released by the NRC, “Both abroad and in the U.S., interest in new reactor and fuel cycle facility construction is resuming after many years. However, problems in nuclear construction, similar to those identified in the U.S. more than 20 years ago, have resurfaced. Although the technical issues vary, inspections repeatedly identify a lack of contractor oversight and poor quality control in concrete placement.”

 

The problems in the construction of the $4.7 billion SRS MOX plant, which started last summer, were first spotted last September, and involved a number of issues related to concrete placement. Another series of troubles was noticed this January, when a concrete reinforcing bar fractured close to a bending place. Shaw AREVA MOX Services, the company employed by the National Nuclear Security Administration to carry out the design and the building, as well as to handle the functioning of the facility, issued over 80 reports about the vendor parts that caused the trouble, and increased its oversight, according to the NRC.

 

Tom Clements, member of the “Friends of the Earth” environmental association and coordinator of the Southeast nuclear campaign, stated that problems like that found at the SRS MOX facility, which was actually the main national effort in an attempt to resume nuclear plant building, seemed to be “endemic.” “It doesn't bode well for the rest of the project or other such projects, nationally,” shared Clements. “If this is an indicator of future performance, it's of concern.” Also, the NRC stated in their report that similar issues regarding the concrete used at a nuclear plant being constructed in Finland “caused lengthy construction delays and had a negative impact on public confidence.”