Plant loses nuke fuel

[struggle4progress]

By MARGARET NEWKIRK
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/11/05

Southern Co. said Thursday it is unable to locate some of its spent nuclear fuel at the Edwin L. Hatch nuclear plant near Baxley.

The missing fuel comes from rods about the diameter of a pencil. Southern Nuclear Operating Co. reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that about 5 feet, 8 inches of rod that should be in its spent fuel pools apparently is not. Southern Nuclear operates the plant for Southern Co.'s Georgia Power.

The company was inspecting its spent fuel in accordance with a February order from the NRC. <snip>

http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/1105/11bizpower.html

[salib]

1. And we keep saying that the Former USSR is the risk

This can happen with any of the countries that play the nuclear game.

[rzemanfl]

2. Hasn't this happened before and the missing fuel later found at

the bottom of the tank the fuel rods were stored in? This sure sounds familiar.

[rzemanfl]

3. Yes, it happened last year in Vermont, a few of your brain cells

still work:

7:45 p.m. July 13, 2004

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Two highly radioactive pieces of spent nuclear fuel were found Tuesday where they belong, in the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's spent fuel pool, three months after they were reported missing.

[NNadir]

4. Yes, but for three months, everyone on earth was in mortal danger from

them.

They were (gasp) radioactive!

[Truth__Seeker]

5. It's in Homer's back pocket.