Special federal inspectors at Oconee Nuclear

SENECA, S.C. (AP) — A special team of federal inspectors is at the Oconee Nuclear Station to check on a potential problem at a facility that’s designed to be used only in emergencies.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspection team began working Tuesday, about two weeks after workers at the Duke Energy nuclear plant near Seneca determined pressurized heater breakers used in the facility’s standby shutdown facility were not operating properly.

Officials say the inspection will take about a week.

Duke Energy spokeswoman Addie Bradshaw says the utility is working with the inspectors. The company also is trying to find an alternative breaker that will maintain proper pressure better in an emergency.

Bradshaw says the plant’s three nuclear reactors are still operating at full capacity during the special inspection.