The Department of Energy on Thursday expressed confidence in the strength of the nation’s nuclear power fleet, even as a leading industry group has asked the Trump administration to provide economic relief in the face of potential damage from the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
“Rest assured that our fleet of operating reactors and the nuclear energy workforce are prepared for situations just like this,” DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Rita Baranwal said in a video message posted to her official Twitter account. “Power plant operators are working closely with regulators to ensure the health and safety of the workforce so that they can keep powering our homes, hospitals, grocery stores, and electronic devices.”
That statement is in line with the message from the Washington, D.C.-based Nuclear Energy Institute, which has nonetheless identified “near-term challenges” facing its more than 300 members.
All 96 operating U.S. nuclear power plants have pandemic readiness plans dating to 2006, and all NEI members have activated those plans, President and CEO Maria Korsnick said in a March 24 message on the organization’s website. Response measures, she said, include: establishing points to screen anyone showing symptoms of infection before they enter the property; advising sick workers to stay home; using teleworking when possible; and increasing cleaning in shared areas of a plant and deploying masks and other protective gear as needed.
There have been no public reports of atomic energy personnel becoming infected by the novel coronavirus 2019, though several employees at Southern Co.’s Vogtle site in Georgia were tested this month.
Nuclear power has faced a stiff economic challenge in recent years in the energy market, highlighted by low natural gas prices that have helped drive a number of plants into early retirement. The pandemic could generate another shock to the system, Korsnick warned.
“Our member companies are anticipating – or are already experiencing – severe financial strain as product orders are delayed or canceled, as industrial electricity demand falls, and as workforce availability becomes increasingly constrained,” she stated in a March 19 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow.
Korsnick asked the administration to take four specific steps to support nuclear facilities, including temporarily waiving fees from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other federal agencies that can accrue to $15 million annually for a two-reactor operation. She also urged authorization for travel of essential personnel between facilities in the event of workforce shortages, and provision of grants to cover costs of paid leave for major infrastructure projects that receive Energy Department loan guarantees – such as construction of new reactors at Vogtle, according to Korsnick.
The Nuclear Energy Institute did not respond to a query by deadline Friday regarding whether it had received any response from the agencies. The Treasury Department also did not say whether it is considering providing the requested assistance to nuclear power companies.
Congress has passed two economic relief bills to counteract the pain inflicted by the coronavirus outbreak, with the House expected today to approve another $2 trillion package. While a slice of that money would go to the Energy Department and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it remains to be seen if any will reach the nuclear industry.
In a separate letter on March 20 to Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, Korsnick noted that nuclear power plants are classified as critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security, meaning they are exempt from orders for nonessential businesses to close to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
She added, though, that 32 power plants in 21 states are scheduled this spring for refueling and maintenance outages that can last two to four weeks. The facilities need assistance from the federal government to ensure the operations go smoothly and do not undermine nuclear energy output, Korsnick wrote.
Among the asks: ensure personnel who support nuclear refueling are designated as essential workers; authorize worker travel to the facilities for refueling, including across state lines; and give nuclear workers priority for COVID-19 testing kits and radiological and medical protective equipment and other gear.
The Nuclear Energy Institute and Energy Department did not tell RadWaste Monitor by Friday deadline whether they were in discussions on Korsnick’s requests. However, NEI told Power magazine on Thursday that “We continue to work with the Administration to address how best to support the industry and our workforce during this time.”
While they have avoided discussing details, major operators of U.S. nuclear power plants (and their accompanying spent-fuel storage installations) have said they are ready for the hazard posed by COVID-19.
“Exelon Generation is closely monitoring developments related to the coronavirus and we are taking extensive, proactive measures to protect the health and safety of our employees, contractors and local communities,” the Exelon subsidiary, owner of 14 active and retired facilities, said in a prepared statement. “We are closely following CDC guidance at all our generating facilities to prevent the spread of germs and viruses.”
Reuters reported last week that essential personnel at nuclear facilities could be requested to stay-on site on a continuing basis if the pandemic grows worse.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission could today issue new guidelines on operations at power plants as a bulwark against interruptions in service caused by the outbreak, Power magazine reported earlier this week. The document had not been made public at deadline, but it could enable facilities to delay certain maintenance and NRC inspections to avoid bringing in contaminated gear or individuals, according to the report.
In its COVID-19 update web page, the industry regulator said it remains in regular contact with nuclear facilities regarding their present and future operations, covering personnel numbers, medical evaluations, and upkeep that could be designated nonessential and delayed.
Under federal nuclear regulations there are clearly defined personnel levels required for reactor operations and site security – specifically, per Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, three operators and two senior operators in a control room at a site with two reactors, along with no fewer than 10 armed guards.
“These issues are not new,” Lyman wrote. “In 2006, the NRC held a workshop to consider the impacts of a pandemic flu outbreak on safety. A number of difficult policy questions were discussed, including the potential need to sequester workers early in an outbreak and the effect of high rates of absenteeism. But little was done to resolve these questions.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission itself has most of its nearly 3,000-person workforce working remotely, including the resident inspectors for nuclear power plants.
The latest coronavirus relief legislation would provide $3.3 million to the agency “to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally.” The money would be used to meet information-technology needs with the increased teleworking during the pandemic, an NRC spokesman said.
