NukeWorker Forum

Career Path => NRC => Topic started by: wlrun3@aol.com on Nov 25, 2011, 12:02

Title: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Nov 25, 2011, 12:02

What is the easiest way to find a plant's INPO rating?

From a recent job posting, "Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is an INPO 1, single unit boiling water reactor..."

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Fermi2 on Nov 25, 2011, 12:21
Only if the company releases it.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: HydroDave63 on Nov 25, 2011, 01:51
I nformation
N ot
P ublicly
O pened

?

 :P
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Fermi2 on Nov 25, 2011, 02:06
Yep, I guess it's legal as the utilities pay for it, but in at least TVA and CGS case I believe that might be fuzzy as allegedly they are government run utilities. Though in truth the Government provides us with no funding at all.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 18, 2012, 11:55


http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html

 (http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html)
Wouldn't the INPO rating system be similar to the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process and be similarly available to the public?





Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: RDTroja on Jan 19, 2012, 01:52

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html

 (http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html)
Wouldn't the INPO rating system be similar to the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process and be similarly available to the public?



INPO is a private, utility run organization and not subject to the 'Government in the Sunshine' laws.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: ToadSuck on Jan 19, 2012, 06:17
At my plant the INPO rating is posted in our conference room, but in big bold letters it says that this information is PRIVATE and not for transmittal. I don't remember the exact verbage, but it basically says don't even share within the company....
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Higgs on Jan 19, 2012, 04:56
The public doesn't have access to INPO. Like was mentioned, it is a private organization formed from within the industry.

That said, the INPO and NRC ratings are often tied pretty close together. You won't ever find an INPO 1 plant in NRC column 4. If anything, the NRC lags INPO a bit because INPO is supposed to be identifying areas for improvement before the NRC comes in with their version of "help."
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 19, 2012, 05:41

It looks like NRC ROP columns 1 through 5 are very similar to INPO ratings 1 through 5.

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: RDTroja on Jan 19, 2012, 05:55
Similar processes, yes. Different organizations and different rules. INPO is private and answers only to the sponsoring utilities.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 20, 2012, 12:07

This is the article that prompted my question about the similarity between NRC and INPO ratings.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120115/NEWS05/201150541/Michigan-s-Palisades-nuclear-plant-may-be-named-one-of-nation-s-5-worst
 (http://www.freep.com/article/20120115/NEWS05/201150541/Michigan-s-Palisades-nuclear-plant-may-be-named-one-of-nation-s-5-worst)

Thankyou for the help. I now have a much better understanding of the relevant regulatory rating process.

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: RRhoads on Jan 20, 2012, 12:34
Similar processes, yes. Different organizations and different rules. INPO is private and answers only to the sponsoring utilities.

Name a "non- sponsoring" utility
 :P
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 20, 2012, 12:50

I have noticed that the most mentioned status of a plant among plant personnel is its INPO rating.



Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Incline on Jan 20, 2012, 03:07
A good INPO rating usually begets a good NRC rating. And it keeps the insurance rate lower, the regulators off your back, the local population on your side, industry peers come looking to see if the processes would work at their plant, and so on and so on.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: RDTroja on Jan 20, 2012, 04:21
Name a "non- sponsoring" utility
 :P

Well, there is Potomac Electric Power... they are a utility but non-nuclear.

(Actually, I am not even sure they exist anymore, but you get the point.)
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 21, 2012, 02:17

Given what has been discussed on this thread, again, isn't there a way to find a plant's INPO rating. I can see a lot of positive benefits in this. I can't see any negative effects.

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Incline on Jan 22, 2012, 03:50
Given what has been discussed on this thread, again, isn't there a way to find a plant's INPO rating. I can see a lot of positive benefits in this. I can't see any negative effects.


I believe there is a way, but I think you have to have member (utility) access. I also think it used to be published in Nuclear News once a year but I don't think it's done anymore.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Chimera on Jan 23, 2012, 09:34
Given what has been discussed on this thread, again, isn't there a way to find a plant's INPO rating. I can see a lot of positive benefits in this. I can't see any negative effects.

We used to be able to get this information from the NRC Resident Inspector.  Check with them at whatever site you're at.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jan 23, 2012, 10:06

Chimera,
   When the NRC resident inspector provided the INPO ratings was it in the form of a quarterly status of all plants?

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html
 (http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/actionmatrix_summary.html)

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/list-power-reactor-units.html
 (http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/list-power-reactor-units.html)

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/reactor-status/ps.html
 (http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/reactor-status/ps.html)

The first link is the NRC Reactor Oversight Process (ROP) prior quarter Column 1 through 5 status of all plants.

The second link is the NRC list of each plant's basic information.

The third link is the NRC current power level of each plant.

Mr. Rennhack has provided us with the current/upcoming season's outage list.

What is needed is a link to a list of future planned outages and a link to current plant INPO status.

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Bigchris on Jan 24, 2012, 01:01
Sometimes the INPO rating of a plant can be found with a Google search. This search for  example, found “…Seabrook’s INPO score of 1 and Millstone’s INPO score of 2 were recently affirmed in the first quarter of 2010,” at this website.

I am getting the feeling that the links did not transfer so here are the addresses:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=seabrook+nuclear+INPO+rating&gbv=2&oq=seabrook+nuclear+INPO+rating&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=4562l13500l0l14156l28l28l0l18l18l0l172l1219l2.8l10l0

http://www.mmwec.org/documents/CreditRatings/MoodysUpgrade_910.pdf

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Fermi2 on Jan 24, 2012, 05:10
The public doesn't have access to INPO. Like was mentioned, it is a private organization formed from within the industry.

That said, the INPO and NRC ratings are often tied pretty close together. You won't ever find an INPO 1 plant in NRC column 4. If anything, the NRC lags INPO a bit because INPO is supposed to be identifying areas for improvement before the NRC comes in with their version of "help."


Incorrect. Ask Connecticut Yankee. A nearly good for INPO 1 every time they were rated and the NRC came down on them HARD after an INPO 1 Rating.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Higgs on Jan 24, 2012, 06:08

Incorrect. Ask Connecticut Yankee. A nearly good for INPO 1 every time they were rated and the NRC came down on them HARD after an INPO 1 Rating.

Yeah I didn't mean it was impossible, simply unlikely. I understand there can be extreme cases.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Laundry Man on Jan 26, 2012, 08:52
Unfortunately for CY it was pretty much economics.  At that time Northeast was still taking it in the butt for the Millstone 1 fiasco and decoded not to spend the extra money to complete the upgrades that were in progress at CY.  It really was a shame they were not completed.  The CAL the NRC slapped on them didn't help either.  I was there very shortly after the final shutdown up until the CAL was lifted.
LM
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: rshortr on May 01, 2012, 09:20
It looks like NRC ROP columns 1 through 5 are very similar to INPO ratings 1 through 5.

 INPO evaluates to improve plant performance in a manner that is supposed to be conducive to earnest improvement. The USNRC inspects plants for compliance with minimum standards. I worked for both.
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: IPREGEN on May 02, 2012, 02:13
If a utility has a good rating they may put it in their annual report or other public documents.
But frequently the longer outages occur in the lower rated plants. "Confusion + chaos = cash"
http://www.exelonnuclearpartners.com/exelon-nuclear-management-model2.pdf
Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: wlrun3@aol.com on Jul 14, 2012, 08:28

Average outage length for 2011, per the Nuclear Energy Institute, was 43 days.

Title: Re: INPO Rating
Post by: Nuclear NASCAR on Jul 14, 2012, 11:17

Is a ten week long outage considered a "longer outage" or is that a normal outage by today's standards.

It would be considered a longer outage these days.  However, it could be that long due to replacing steam generators, turbines, transformers, etc....