Nuclear

Former Nuclear Plant Supervisor Sentenced for Falsifying Records

A former chemistry manager at a nuclear power facility was fined $500 and sentenced to 18 months’ probation on Jan. 16 for engaging in deliberate misconduct in connection with a matter regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Daniel Wilson pleaded guilty to felony charges of fabricating chemical test results regarding diesel fuel used to power emergency generators at the Indian Point Energy Center, a 2,069-MW nuclear power facility located in Buchanan, N.Y. He had worked at the plant from 1983 to 2012 and was the chemistry manager when the misconduct occurred.

According to court documents signed by Diane T. Gallagher, senior special agent with the NRC’s Office of Investigations, Indian Point is required to test the diesel fuel maintained for emergency generators at regular intervals to ensure compliance with technical specifications. The plant is required to shut down if particulate matter in the diesel fuel exceeds the NRC limit and cannot be corrected within seven days for primary tanks and within 30 days for its reserve tank.

In three separate instances in 2011, fuel samples tested in excess of the NRC limit. Wilson responded by entering purported resample results that were below the NRC limit so that Indian Point would not have to shut down.

When investigation of the purported resamples intensified in late March 2012, Wilson abruptly resigned from his employment at Indian Point in an email dated Apr. 17, 2012. The defendant ultimately pleaded guilty to the charge of deliberate misconduct on Oct. 16, 2013.

Aaron Larson, associate editor (@AaronL_Power, @POWERmagazine)

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