Exelon: 'Upgrades Built On Lessons From Japan'

In a news release today, Exelon, which operates the Limerick Generating Station nuclear power plant, said it beefed up emergency preparedness.

"Technical experts have verified readiness of more than 1,700 other pieces of equipment; inspected more than 1,900 flood barriers and seals; and invested more than 43,000 worker hours checking and testing equipment and procedures that might be needed in an emergency," the release states. "Those actions represent just a portion of the inspections, upgrades, and other work undertaken by Exelon Nuclear following the Fukushima-Daiichi disaster."

The company operates the largest fleet of commercial nuclear facilities in the U.S., which includes 17 reactors at 10 sites.

"Within a week of the March 11, 2011, events, teams of engineers and technical experts from Exelon Nuclear and others in the industry traveled to Japan to provide expertise and to begin understanding as many lessons as possible from the experience," according to the release. "The primary lesson: expect the unexpected, and prepare for the unimaginable."

Company officials learned from the Fukushima disaster to maintain extensive reviews of equipment, structures and procedures at Limerick. The emergency plan includes purchases of additional backup equipment, updates of emergency procedures and additional training.

“Limerick Generating Station has one operational priority above all else: the continued safe and secure operation of the plant,” said Bill Maguire, Limerick site vice president via the news release. “In the past year, Limerick has applied more than 3,800 person hours completing all Fukushima response activities and state-of-the-art equipment upgrades are currently under way as part of our refueling outage. Our dedicated and disciplined team of operators and engineers expertly operate Limerick to ensure the safety of our employees, the community, and the region.”

Safety measures planned for Exelon will follow guidance from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the company said.

Last month, Exelon agreed to purchase or order additional safety equipment for their plants by March 31.

"This includes emergency and portable equipment such as diesel driven pumps, electric generators, hoses, fittings, communications gear and other equipment," the release states.

"Limerick is protected from flooding by watertight doors, elevation of equipment above flood levels and specially engineered flood barriers. Limerick can automatically and safely shut down and keep the fuel cooled even without electricity from the grid, using massive backup power generators that have second, third and fourth layers of backups," the release states. "Reactors and other critical components are protected by concrete walls up to five-feet thick. Limerick undergoes frequent emergency training and exercises involving government emergency response agencies at all levels."