NRC begins special inspection at Michigan’s Cook nuclear plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined that a special inspection is necessary to evaluate the reliability of diesel generators after they failed four times in two years. The Cook plant is located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Bridgman, Mich., and is operated by Indiana Michigan Power.

Emergency diesel generators are critical for plant safety, as the units are designed to provide backup power to safety equipment when power from the electrical grid is not available. Following each emergency diesel generator failure, NRC inspectors verified that the plant performed prompt repairs.

What’s next: A three-person special inspection team with expertise in electrical and mechanical engineering and plant systems will 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.

The inspection will “take as long as necessary,” NRC spokesperson Prema Chandrathil told Moody on the Market on Monday.

Once complete, results of the special inspection will be made public.