(Host) Federal regulators want more information on Vermont Yankee’s plan to boost its power output by 20 percent. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Friday that it’s concerned about how the power increase would affect a key component of the plant called a steam dryer.
Neal Sheehan is a commission spokesman.
(Sheehan) “There’s been some examples in other plants where pieces have broken loose from the stream dryers. And that’s obviously not something you want to see happen. A loose piece of metal from a steam dryer could get in piping and damage the piping or other equipment. So that’s a concern. And it has required shutdowns of other plants that have gone through these so-called extended power uprates.”
(Host) The steam dryer removes moisture from the steam before it’s sent through turbines to make electricity. The NRC was supposed to rule on the Yankee plan in January. Now it says the decision will be delayed for at least several months.