By admin 
For nearly a decade, atomic power plant workers in South Carolina failed to maintain part of a system that is supposed to keep the V.C. Summer nuclear station safe during an emergency.
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The lack of maintenance, noted in federal inspection records, left V.C. Summer’s emergency feedwater pumping system unable to perform the safety features it was designed to provide at the nuclear energy plant northwest of Columbia, records show.
Now, Dominion Energy faces increased federal scrutiny for not keeping up with maintenance on the turbine driven emergency feedwater pump, a system that is supposed to keep cool water flowing through the plant during an emergency so that nuclear material won’t overheat and release radiation.
Because of the problems, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has upheld an earlier decision to issue what’s known as a “white finding,’’ an inspection grade not often given to atomic power plants by the federal oversight agency. But in V.C. Summer’s case, it is at least the fourth white finding handed down by the NRC since 2022 over maintenance issues.
A white designation indicates there are problems with a nuclear plant that need to be resolved. The designation is not the worst rating that could be given – two others the NRC can hand out represent bigger safety concerns – but it’s more significant than the more routine green findings the agency assesses when it runs across problems during nuclear plant inspections.
Dominion had contested a preliminary decision by the NRC to issue the white finding, but the agency turned that appeal down late last month, saying the pump problems constituted more of a safety concern than Dominion contended.
At issue are components of the turbine driven emergency feedwater system that records show had not been maintained by Dominion since 2017.
The lack of preventive maintenance on part of the feedwater pump caused a key component to degrade – and the component’s condition eventually rendered the pump “non-functional,’’ according to a June 29 notice of violation by the NRC against Dominion.
Turbine driven emergency feedwater pumps ensure water circulates through nuclear plants in the event of emergencies, such as the loss of power and the failure of generators needed for backup power. It’s vital to keep the reactor and spent fuel cool to prevent overheating.
The problems at V.C. Summer have been resolved. But in the June 29 letter to Dominion, acting NRC regional administrator Julio Lara said “the notice is considered escalated enforcement action because it is associated with a white finding.’’
The letter went on to say that, depending on how Dominion responds to calls for improvement, the NRC “will also determine whether further enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.’’
NRC officials typically follow up on violations by increasing the number of inspections at nuclear plants, but in extreme cases, they can issue fines.
In a letter to the NRC, a top official with the utility said the problem has been resolved. The company has rebuilt a component known as a “linkage assembly’’ where the problem occurred, officials said.
Dominion “takes this matter seriously and has thoroughly evaluated the condition and are (sic) implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence,’’ the utility’s chief nuclear officer, Eric Carr, said in a May 7 letter. The letter said the energy company believes the problem was less serious than the NRC contends.
Company spokesman Matt Long said in an email that Dominion understands the NRC’s action.
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“ V.C. Summer has implemented additional preventive maintenance practices to ensure the issue is thoroughly addressed,’’ Long’s email said. “There was no danger to the public.’’
As Long indicated, there was no emergency that would have required the use of the turbine driven emergency feedwater pump, but the white finding and recurring maintenance issues caught the attention of one nuclear watchdog.
Ed Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the V.C. Summer findings are worth paying attention to – particularly now.
The NRC, he said, has in recent years become more lenient on nuclear plants, changing some white findings to green. There are increasing efforts across the country to bolster the country’s nuclear energy capacity to meet future demand.
So “when they stand their ground and do issue white findings, it is more significant than it used to be,’’ said Lyman, who wrote a paper last year criticizing changes in the NRC’s enforcement efforts. “ It means they really do have a concern that can’t just be buried.’’
His 2025 report listed V.C. Summer as among 13 nuclear sites in the country with a recent history of violations.
The latest issue with Dominion follows disagreements between the power company and the NRC over how it maintains certain safety machinery in the nuclear plant.
The NRC hit Dominion with white findings in 2022 and 2023 over what it said was a failure to properly inspect and maintain V.C. Summer’s emergency diesel generator system that provides backup power.
In one case, the agency initially levied a yellow finding, a category that outlines more serious safety concerns, but dropped that to white after the company protested. The NRC has four color-coded designations to assess nuclear performance: red, which outlines serious problems; yellow, which is considered moderate; white, which is of medium to low safety significance; and green, which is of very low safety significance.
Like with the most recent issue involving the pumping system no one was put in danger, but critics said it’s vital to keep diesel generators in top shape in case of emergency.
The V.C. Summer plant, licensed in 1982, is about 25 miles northwest of Columbia in Fairfield County. It is one of four sites in the state where nuclear reactors produce power for distribution to the public. The others are in Oconee, York and Darlington counties.
Plans are now underway to restart construction of two additional reactors at V.C. Summer to help provide demand for energy by power-consuming data centers and by the public. SCE&G, which later was acquired by Dominion, and state owned Santee Cooper walked away from the project in 2017 after spending some $9 billion and watching construction efforts fall years behind schedule..
Dominion, a Virginia utility in talks with Next Era about consolidation, is not involved in plans to restart the project, even though it operates the existing reactor. Santee Cooper is spearheading the expansion effort with a private company.
Dominion’s recent issues over maintenance at V.C. Summer have occurred at the roughly same time that a warning system went down at the nuclear plant. The Everbridge alert system, provided by a third party, was unavailable briefly the weekend of June 26. The system provides a rapid way to notify first responders in the event of an emergency. That system has been restored.
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