Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County, New Jersey. It has one twelve hundred megawatt power reactor that went into operation in 1981. PSEG Nuclear LLC owns and operates the plant. It is located at the same site as the Salem Nuclear Power Plant which has two power reactors with a total capacity of about twenty two hundred megawatts. One unit went into operation in 1977 and the other in 1981. The Salem plant is owned and operated by PSEG Nuclear LLC and Excelon LLC.
I have been blogging lately about problems with nuclear reactor components manufactured by Areva in France. The investigation has spread to nine nuclear power plants located in the U.S. and, it turns out, the Hope Creek/Salem facilities may have imported some of the questionable components from Areva.
There is a new report out by epidemiologist Joseph Mangano commissioned by a citizens watchdog group called Unplug Salem. The report states that there have been rising cancer rates in the communities around the two nuclear power plants. Prior to 1990, the cancer rates for Salem County were below the average rate for other counties in New Jersey. According to the new report, as of 2014, the cancer rates for Salem County are now above the average rate for New Jersey counties.
The report does not claim to have shown a direct link between the increasing cancer rates and radiological releases from the three nuclear power reactors but it does call for increased diligence on the part of state and national regulators of nuclear power plants. In view of the increased cancer rates and the reports of possibly flawed components, the public is entitled to more detailed information about the operation of the three power reactors.
The French authorities are moving aggressively in their investigation of French nuclear power plants that purchased questionable components from Areva. They have found falsified quality control record and have instructed Areva to visually inspect records of over six thousand components dating back to 1960. Eighteen nuclear power reactors were shut down by the French regulator agency while inspection of components from Areva was carried out.
When the news of the investigation of possible U.S. purchase and installation of flawed components from Areva at U.S. nuclear power plants first became public, the NRC refused to release the list of U.S. reactors that might have purchased flawed components. They made the argument that the information was proprietary and that there was no threat to the public. However, apparently that position has not proved to be sustainable and it was just announced that the NRC will reveal the names of the nine U.S. power plants that may have Areva components.
It should be determined if any of the Areva components at any of the nine U.S. nuclear power plants could possibly cause a major nuclear accident if it fails. If there is even the remotest possibility of such an accident, the nuclear power plant utilizing the component should be shut down immediately. In any case, all questionable components should be carefully inspected at every one of the nine nuclear power plants before they are given a clean bill of health.
Hope Creek/Salem nuclear power complex:
