Vermont Yankee missed the golden opportunity to use their “Friday Flash” model to share their latest misadventure with the public in a more timely manner.
Apparently, this event actually occurred last Friday, December 2; so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for it to grind its way into the Free Press.
“While hanging tags on the ‘B’ Diesel Generator, which was tagged out for maintenance, the operator mistakenly entered the ‘A’ Diesel Generator Room and tripped the ‘A’ Diesel Generator fuel rack, making it inoperable. At this time both diesels were inoperable placing the plant in a 24 Hour LCO.
“When the fuel rack was tripped alarms were received in the control room, the operator was immediately contacted and the problem was identified and corrected. Total LCO time was approximately 2 minutes.”
Operator error. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
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.
Well finally there is proof that at Vermont Yankee they often can’t tell their “A”‘s from their “B”‘s.
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!
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.
(paywalled) I have only the print story:
Southern Vermont – “Yankee auxiliary operator shuts off wrong equipment”
Seems both plant inspectors today are in region I headquarters at King of Prussia Penn…all day…its 250 miles away.
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.