VY's infamous 2007 cooling tower collapse. The photo was distributed by a whistleblower.As reported by the Vermont Digger, State of Vermont Department of Public Service officials have written the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), objecting to and demanding answers about the repeated malfunction of vital radiation monitors at the age-degraded, problem-plagued Entergy Vermont Yankee (VY) atomic reactor. VY is identical in design to Fukushima Daiichi Units 1 to 4, a General Electric Mark I boiling water reactor.
Despite this, NRC rubberstamped a 20-year license extension at VY, the same month Fukushima's reactors melted down and exploded. It is unclear to the State of Vermont whether or not NRC even inspected the defective radiation monitoring equipment before rubberstamping the license extension. Entergy has announced it will replace the faulty equipment.
The article also mentioned previous age-related degradation accidents at VY, such as the infamous 2007 cooling tower collapse (photo above left); it also reported that VY's fair market value has declined 69% in the past year alone, calling into question its viability.
Springer expressed this sentiment in the official letter to the NRC, which the agency is obliged to respond to. “Failure of the radiation monitoring equipment is a serious issue, and could have under other circumstances led to significant harm if the failed equipment had not detected a radiation release at the plant,” he wrote. - See more at: http://vtdigger.org/2013/07/28/entergy-replaces-radiation-monitors-state-asks-the-nrc-to-investigate-spurious-radiation-spikes-at-vermont-yankee/#sthash.ngArg3lb.dpu
Springer expressed this sentiment in the official letter to the NRC, which the agency is obliged to respond to. “Failure of the radiation monitoring equipment is a serious issue, and could have under other circumstances led to significant harm if the failed equipment had not detected a radiation release at the plant,” he wrote. - See more at: http://vtdigger.org/2013/07/28/entergy-replaces-radiation-monitors-state-asks-the-nrc-to-investigate-spurious-radiation-spikes-at-vermont-yankee/#sthash.ngArg3lb.dpuf
Springer expressed this sentiment in the official letter to the NRC, which the agency is obliged to respond to. “Failure of the radiation monitoring equipment is a serious issue, and could have under other circumstances led to significant harm if the failed equipment had not detected a radiation release at the plant,” he wrote. - See more at: http://vtdigger.org/2013/07/28/entergy-replaces-radiation-monitors-state-asks-the-nrc-to-investigate-spurious-radiation-spikes-at-vermont-yankee/#sthash.ngArg3lb.dpuf
July 30, 2013