NRC says cracks repaired at SC nuclear plant

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Workers have finished repairing cracks at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Fairfield County.

The State newspaper reports Thursday (http://bit.ly/SfxVUt) that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on repairs at the site in Jenkinsville.

Last month, the NRC said fractures at the South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. plant did not present a danger to the public.

A steel dome is on top of a room surrounding the core of the plant where atomic reactions occur to produce power. SCE&G discovered flaws in four welded holes where nuclear fuel rods are inserted to control the atomic reactions.

SCE&G says the repairs should be good for at least 40 years. The utility is building two new reactors next to the existing unit, which began operating in the 1980s.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com