NRC issues white safety finding to V.C. Summer

[Marlin]

NRC issues white safety finding to V.C. Summer

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-07-13/article-8198/nrc-issues-white-safety-finding-to-vc-summer/

[Core Content]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finalized a white safety finding for the V.C. Summer power plant following a failure to maintain the turbine-driven emergency feedwater pump governor valve linkage. Inspectors determined that a lack of preventive maintenance since 2017 led to mechanical binding and an overspeed trip during a 2025 surveillance test.

This classification places the facility in the regulatory response column of the NRC action matrix, requiring supplemental inspections to verify corrective actions. The finding highlights the necessity of rigorous adherence to preventive maintenance schedules for safety-related equipment. Dominion Energy must now address these recurring maintenance deficiencies to resolve the regulatory status and prevent further oversight escalation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has upheld and finalized a "white" safety finding at V.C. Summer power plant in Jenkinsville, S.C., over the plant's failure to properly preplan and perform maintenance on its turbine-driven emergency feedwater pump (TDEFW) governor valve linkage. The 966-MWe three-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactor at...

Under the NRC's reactor oversight process, a white inspection finding reflects a low safety significance. A white finding is the second-lowest in the four-color grading scale, with "green" being the lowest and "yellow" and "red" warranting greater scrutiny. A white finding may require additional NRC inspections.

The decision: An NRC inspection conducted from November 2025 through March 2026 found that the plant's licensee, Dominion Energy South Carolina, has failed since 2017 to preplan or perform preventive maintenance on the TDEFW governor valve linkage using written procedures, documented instructions, or drawings. In a final determination issued June 29, NRC Region II acting regional administrator Julio Lara said this failure to act ultimately affected the performance of the equipment.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-07-13/article-8198/nrc-issues-white-safety-finding-to-vc-summer/