NRC to perform special inspections at Cook Nuclear after repeated generator failure

BRIDGMAN, Mich -- On Monday the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has launched a special inspection at the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman to investigate the circumstances surrounding multiple diesel generator failures.

"The NRC determined a special inspection is necessary to evaluate the reliability of diesel generators after they failed four times in two years," the agency said in a statement. "Emergency diesel generators are important because they provide backup power to safety equipment when power from the electrical grid is not available."

The NRC say that after each failure of an emergency generator, their inspectors were on scene to verify that the proper repairs were made and that the plant continues to operate safely.

The agency will send a three-person special inspection team -- made up of experts in electrical and mechanical engineering as well as nuclear power plant systems -- to identify the failure timelines, review the plant's troubleshooting and corrective actions, assess maintenance practices, and evaluate the plant's ability to effectively identify and resolve issues of concern.

"Upon completion of the special inspection, NRC inspectors will document their findings in a publicly available inspection report, which will be distributed electronically to listserv subscribers and available on the NRC website," the NRC said. 

The Cook plant is operated by Indiana Michigan Power.