Here is some info that I aven't seen up here yet. If it was sorry...

http://www.lancnews.com/newera_news/peach.htm

Reactor Y2K test triggers "event' Monitors "glitch' at Peach Bottom plant Tuesday, March 2, 1999 By Ad Crable New Era Staff Writer Lancaster New Era

In the most serious Y2K-preparation glitch at a nuclear plant to date, a Peach Bottom reactor lost plant-monitoring computers for seven hours last month during a test. The Feb. 8 incident did not threaten plant safety because there were backup safety alarms and other reactor-condition screens, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and PECO Energy Co. officials stress. Operators "would not have been flying blind at any point," said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. But the extended loss of plant-condition monitors caused operators to report an "event." And PECO, Peach Bottom's owner, was ordered by the NRC to temporarily suspend Year 2000 tests until the root causes of the incident are resolved. All nuclear plants in the U.S. are under order by the NRC to find and correct any Y2K computer problems by July 31. If not corrected, compters at nuclear and other power plants may reason the year 2000 as 1900. The NRC mandate for nuclear plants is to guard against plant malfunctions or loss-of-power shutdowns that could, if spread to other power plants, cause widespread power outages. At Peach Bottom, a special team of computer analysts has checked 100,000 computer components in the plant, eventually identifying 1,000 that needed to be changed or fixed. The test at Peach Bottom's Unit 2 was on supposedly corrected software that had run smoothly on a simulator. Testers took a computerized backup plant monitoring system off-line and advanced the computer clock to a year 2000 date. The backup system locked up and transferred to the primary computer system, according to an NRC account of the event. But testers did not recognize that the switch had been made and erroneously advanced the system clock again, freezing the primary system of monitors. "Several initial attempts to restore the (plant monitoring system) computers were unsuccessful, and operators determined that this constituted a major loss of emergency assessment capability," the NRC report said. "Operators did not expect the testing would affect the on-line PMS computer," the report said. The NRC's Sheehan said key information to run the plant, though no longer available on a central screen, was shown on various other display panels in the control room. "Overall, the testing program did not affect plant safety and did what it was intended to do. That is, it detected a Y2K problem long before the new millennium arrives." PECO spokesman Michael Wood said today the plant operated at full power throughout the incident. "We don't have a Y2K problem at the plant. We conducted a test wrong. We fully expect to complete our Y2K tasks by the end of June." PEPCO spending $55 million over three years on the Y2K problem at its power plants, distribution system and offices. The Peach Bottom incident was the first item discussed when NRC Chairwoman Shirley A. Jackson gave a Y2K briefing in Washington on Feb. 11. "One could take that as a negative," she said, referring to the computer system shutdown at Peach Bottom. "But one could also take it as a positive since, of course, validation and testing of Y2K remediation is a critical aspect of the overall process," she said.

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999

Answers

More on this in an earlier thred:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=000Xpm

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999

(I mean thread)

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999

Mark, Check the door as you walk in. It's been posted on the first screen "news" for a good while. Also there is a link about it somewhere in here.

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999

this woman must have been voted class optimist!

But one could also take it as a positive since, of course, validation and testing of Y2K remediation is a critical aspect of the overall process," she said.

-- Anonymous, March 03, 1999

Thanks for posting, Mark! The news story provides more information than the initial NRC report did. I had been looking for more in the Lancaster paper a few days ago, but the article had not come out.

Regards,

-- Anonymous, March 04, 1999

The Licensee Event Report should be available early next week. If I have to drive to Region I NRC offices to get it from the Public Document Room, I'll do that, and will post what I find.

There's a lot of things about this particular event that seem a bit screwy, and I'm absolutely certain that it's getting a lot of backroom airplay in Rockville Md. (NRC headquarters) When the NRC Chairman makes note of it in published meeting transcripts, as she did on February 11th, you know it will get a lot of high level attention. Stay tuned.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 1999