Nuclear Regulatory Commission Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Dinged For Low-Level Infraction In Federal Inspection

By Anna King May 13, 2019

The Columbia Generating Station is the Northwest's only nuclear plant, located outside of Richland, Wash. CREDIT: ENERGY NORTHWEST

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the green finding after an inspection. Essentially the agency found that Columbia Generating Station operators monitored but didn’t ultimately fix a low oil reading on a transformer for too long. Read More

Small-Scale Nuclear Company Looks To Build First Plant In Idaho

By Cassandra Profita March 11, 2019

An artist’s rendition of the NuScale nuclear power project planned for construction in Idaho. Courtesy of NuScale Power

As coal plants retire across the country, Portland-based NuScale Power wants to replace some of that electricity with its small-scale nuclear plants. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems wants to build a 720-megawatt nuclear plant at the Idaho National Laboratory site in Idaho Falls.Read More

The Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Racks Up Two ‘Green Findings’ From Federal Safety Regulator

By Anna King January 31, 2019

The federal government recently doled out two “green findings” to the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor. The Columbia Generating Station, near Richland, is run by the utility Energy Northwest. Green findings are the lowest infractions for the nuclear industry, but it’s not the only time the plant’s been in trouble.Read More

Explainer: Feds Want To Reclassify Hanford Waste. What Does That Mean, And What’s At Stake?

By Anna King January 18, 2019

The Plutonium Finishing Plant at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. The site includes 56 million gallons of radioactive waster across 580 square miles.

A new proposal from the Trump administration could dramatically change the way the government cleans up radioactive tank waste at Hanford. What does that mean? Anna King explains.Read More

Tri-Cities Nuclear Reactor Columbia Generating Station Shuts Down In Unplanned Event

By Anna King May 20, 2018

The Columbia Generating Station is the Northwest's only commercial nuclear power plant. Courtesy Energy Northwest

The Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor went offline Friday morning in an unplanned event. The Columbia Generating Station went offline around 7 a.m. when its main power transformers automatically disconnected from the grid.Read More

Idaho State University Faces Fine For Losing Radioactive Plutonium

By NWPB News May 7, 2018

Three samples of plutonium are set next to a U.S. quarter for size comparison.

Idaho State University is facing a federal fine after losing a sample of radioactive plutonium. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed an $8,500 fine after discovering the school lost the sample of plutonium sometime after it was taken out of active use in 2003.Read More