Counterfeit parts endanger the operation of nuclear power plants

At least some US nuclear power plants contain counterfeit parts that could pose significant risks, according to an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

These pieces “present nuclear safety and security issues that could have serious consequences”, according to the resulting report, published this month.

While concerns about safety and nuclear waste have disrupted the nuclear power industry for decades, the new findings are fueled by growing enthusiasm for nuclear energy as a carbon-free energy source that can help nations to achieve their climate goals.

Even the EU is considering declaring nuclear energy “green” in order to alleviate the current problems. While Germany plans to withdraw all remaining nuclear generators this year due to safety concerns, France, which already relies on nuclear power for more electricity than any other country in the world, said yesterday it would build 14 new ones. reactors.

The investigation was conducted after anonymous people claimed that “most, if not all” of the US nuclear power plants had fake or defective parts.

The inspector general’s office found problems with counterfeit parts at several different plants during its investigation. The report also states that 100 “incidents” involving counterfeit parts last year alone have been reported separately.

It is an issue that the United States will have to take drastic action if it continues its plans to include nuclear energy in its transition to clean energy. The report warns that in the absence of increased surveillance by the authorities, the risk of counterfeit parts going unnoticed could increase.

In its investigation, the Inspector General’s Office looked for parts that were illegally modified to look like legitimate products, parts that were “intentionally misrepresented to deceive” and parts that did not meet the product specifications.

The office took a sample of four power plants in the United States and found evidence of counterfeit parts at one of those plants in the Midwest.

The first malfunction identified by the NRC director was a water pump shaft used for the emergency service that broke shortly after it was installed.

At another plant in the Northeast, temperature monitors in “safety zones”, which are used to identify broken steam pipes, suddenly gave way “at a significantly higher rate.” Prior to this failure, some of the instruments had been repaired using defective parts.

The NRC could underestimate the prevalence of counterfeit parts, the report warns, because the regulatory agency does not have a robust system for tracking problematic parts.

This requires power plants to report counterfeits only in extraordinary circumstances, such as if they lead to an emergency shutdown of a reactor.

The report also notes that the NRC has not thoroughly investigated all allegations of counterfeiting. As of September 2021, 55 nuclear power plants were in operation in the United States, and the Inspector General’s Office sampled only four for its report.

Other groups, including the Research Institute for Electricity and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have also identified in recent years valves, bearings, circuit breakers, pipe fittings and counterfeit structural steel in nuclear power plants in USA and abroad.

These are a growing problem in the nuclear power industry and other industries around the world, according to a 2019 IAEA report.

It remains to be seen whether similar investigations will be carried out in Europe, more precisely, in Cernavoda, because that would be of direct interest to us…