The plant workers found that a connecting rod bearing on one of the two Unit 1 diesel generators had rotated from its normal position during planned maintenance earlier this month, leading to check of the other Unit 1 diesel generator that discovered one of its bearings in a rotated position.
Despite replacement of both of the bearings, the plant operator, Duke Energy believes that the original bearings would have performed their function in the rotated position.
The NRC team will review the circumstances surrounding the rotated bearings and the company’s actions following their identification.
In addition, the team will look at maintenance practices, assess any previous bearings issues at the plant and evaluate the company’s conclusions about whether the bearing would have operated in the abnormal position.
NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said, "Based on the need to gather more information and determine if there are generic issues that may apply to other plants, we felt a special inspection was warranted."
The on-site portion of the inspection will last for several days, while a report documenting the results is scheduled to be issued within 45 days of the completion.
