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OPPD: we take full responsibility for "broad performance issues" at Ft. Calhoun Station

OPPD officials say the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station won’t reopen until they’re confident safety issues at the plant are resolved.

Utility leaders met in Washington, D.C., Wednesday with the NRC to update performance issues at the plant. Fort Calhoun Station has been closed since last April. Since then, the NRC has cited OPPD for multiple violations at the plant, including being ill-prepared for a flood. NRC officials say a fire at the plant last June also wasn’t reported within the required time frame.

OPPD Chief Nuclear Officer David Bannister says the company takes full responsibility for issues at the plant. He says they’re committed to fixing the problems.“We recognize that our performance issues are broad, we have to dig deep to be able to get those on the surface so we can get forth the right actions to correct them. And really, it’s looking at the cultural level and getting in it at the cultural level to ensure these are sustained long-term.”

Last September, the NRC classified Fort Calhoun Station as a plant with significant issues. Bannister says they’ve updated procedures the utility follows in the event of a flood. He says they’re also conducting reviews of reactor safety and the safety culture inside the plant.