Palisades nuclear plant faces safety downgrade

January 31, 2012|By Clifton French | WSBT-TV Reporter

VAN BUREN COUNTY – The Palisades nuclear plant could be considered one of the worst plants in the nation. It was recently downgraded by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but more safety violations have it facing another downgrade.

Throughout last year the plant was cited for multiple safety infractions. There were three significant issues in 2011 alone.

In May, a worker lubed a wrong part. That caused the initial downgrade of the plant's safety status.

But the NRC is still looking into two things that happened later in the year. In August, a water pump failed. In September, workers caused an electrical problem that the NRC says could have ended with injuries.

Now the plant is facing another downgrade. So what does this mean for people who live in the area? Officials say not to worry.

"The plant is operating safely," said Viktoria Mitlyng, a Nuclear Regulatory Commision public affairs official. "If the NRC found that the plant was not operating safely, the NRC would shut it down."

Still, Mitlyng says there is still cause for concern, specifically with the way the plant is run.

"We are concerned with the plant's performance," she said.

Despite all those safety violations, emergency management officials in Berrien County say there's no need to worry, operations are completely normal.

Sergeant Ronald Bush of the Berrien County Sheriff's Department keeps a close eye on the safety of both the Cook nuclear plant in Coloma and the Palisades plant. So what's his opinion on the potential downgrade?

"We're interested because it does have the potential to affect Berrien County," Sgt. Bush said.

Interested, but not worried. Bush believes the plant is still safe and a downgrade wouldn't change anything anyway.

"It doesn't change our planning, because we're planning for a potential incident anyway," he said.

Bush says the bottom line: people shouldn't be worried, echoing the words of the NRC.

"People should not be scared," Mitlyng said. "What people should know is that there are issues at the plant that are being addressed and the NRC really has the plant under the magnifying glass."

In the next couple of weeks, the NRC will be making a decision on the incidents that happened in August and September. If the commission deems those were indeed major infractions, the plant will face a safety downgrade.

Even though the plant would be one of the nation's worst, it does not mean it's unsafe. Most of the nuclear plants in the country have good ratings. On a one to five scale, this downgrade would make the Palisades a three.

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