One of the more useful Web sites I've come across when looking for a quick daily story or an idea for a long-range project is the one maintained by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's office of public affairs (http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/). In addition to glancing through the latest press releases, each day you can spot-check the level at which each of America's 110 nuclear reactors are operating. Information about the most recent 24-hour period is usually posted by 7 a.m. EST, which means you can do a routine check as you're getting settled with your morning coffee. Simply click on "Plant Status" and scroll to the nuclear power stations in your region.
Routine checks
This may seem like a trivial pursuit. You're likely to find most of the plants operating at or near capacity. But, if the plant is operating at, say, 26 percent of its power, or if it is shut down when you know it isn't off-line for an ordinary refueling, a red flag should go up.
You likely find a brief narrative on log, probably only a few words in NRC jargon. Either way, go back to the home page and click on "Event Reports" to see if there is more.
At the minimum, finding your plant operating at reduced power or not at all is enough to tip you off that something isn't right and should be checked out. At least call the NRC regional office and the utility.
This scenario occurred when I went online the morning of July 20 and found one of the nuclear power cover-Detroit Edison Co.'s Fermi II plant in Michigan's Monroe County - was shut down after operating temporarily at reduced power the night before. I wrote a 10-inch story by finding out the plant had been taken off-line manually by control room operators who noticed an unexplained fluctuation in power. The facility stayed shut down for a couple of days until the apparent problem was fixed.
A blockbuster? No, but it was one of those nifty little stories your competition might not pick up on. Or, it was the kind of thing you might take note of if you're keeping track of how often your plant is being shut down unexpectedly.
NRC Updates
Jan Strasma, senior public affairs officer at the NRC's Midwest regional office in Lisle, Ill., said the daily plant status reports get the most hits of anything on the agency's Web site. Journalists are only a fraction of the users; many are tracking patterns for the financial community.
Strasma, who has been involved with the NRC's Web site since its inception, said the agency gathers information about each plant in the wee hours of the morning while most of the country is asleep.
Plant status reports were initially circulated only within the agency. They eventually were posted on an electronic bulletin board, then an electronic mailing list and, finally on the NRC's Web site.
Price of free information
Utilities aren't always as thrilled about having the status of their plants made instantly available to the general public.
Richard Wilkins, spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp., explained that it can put a utility at a disadvantage when it is forced to buy bulk electricity on the open market, especially in the summer when there is a shortage because of the amount being used to run air conditioners.
If they see that a utility's nuclear plant is or operating at reduced power, potential suppliers get bargaining leverage in a flash. "It affects your negotiating position," Wilkins said.
FirstEnergy is based in Akron, Ohio, and has two subsidiaries-Toledo Edison Co. and Cleveland Electric Illuminating-licensed to operate northern Ohio's Davis-Besse and Perry 1 nuclear plants, respectively.
The parent company experienced a temporary shortage last summer after a June 24 tornado ripped apart Davis-Besse's electrical switchyard, knocking down 11 distribution towers and causing the plant to lose its off-site power.
By clicking on the NRC's "Selected Reports" category, I read a 34-page report that the agency's inspection team had filed on the matter before the hard copy had made it to the utility's headquarters. I know that because Wilkins told me at the time that they were still waiting for it to come in via overnight mail. By finding it on the NRC's Web site, albeit with Strasma telling me where to look, I showed the utility spokesman where he could find it so that he could make a company statement that day.
Made to order
Strasma defends the agency's decision to post some of the information it collects almost as soon as it gets it. Obviously, some ultra-sensitive information may still be guarded closely.
But if you had scanned across the NRC Web site recently, you could have found out about a draft report the agency is circulating concerning the pros and cons of stockpiling potassium iodide pills for the general public in the event of a nuclear accident. You could have found out if a nuclear plant in your area is one of 21 plants the agency has cited for failing to move quickly enough to replace faulty fire barriers called Thermo-Lag 330-1. (Years ago, the nuclear industry spent $58 million on that product, years before the government charged the manufacturer with falsifying lab tests.) Or you could have found out the agency's progress on auditing computers at nuclear plants as part of the government's Year 2000 program.
"Why go to a Web site?" Strasma asked. "Because information is fresh and different. If it's not, you're not going to go there."
Tom Henry can be reached at (419) 724-6079 or by email at parkerpapa@aol.com