NRC Failed in Nuke Plant Inspection, Internal Watchdog Says (1)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission failed its inspection of California’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, leading to an eight-day shutdown in July 2020, according to the Office of Inspector General.

In its report released Monday, the OIG said the commission did not identify degraded piping insulation that sprung the leak, which forced a shutdown three months later. The NRC had not inspected the area where leakage occurred, despite inspection reports revealing that a “complete walkdown” had occurred.

• The report said the site’s auxiliary feedwater system—a backup water supply to cool the reactor—did not receive proper NRC oversight, and the commission spent ...