Nuclear Reactor in Toledo Fined for Near-Breach after Lax Cleaning and Inspection

The leaking boric acid was found two years later during a routine inspection. The corrosion had eaten almost through a 6-inch-thick steel cap.
The damage at the plant along the Lake Erie shore, 30 miles east of Toledo, ranks among the nation's worst nuclear problems since Three Mile Island in 1979. It led to a review of 68 similar plants nationwide.
The plant was closed for two years but returned to full power last April.
The NRC said FirstEnergy restarted the plant in 2000 without completing a cleaning and inspection of the reactor vessel head.
The agency said the company then provided incomplete and inaccurate information about the cleaning and inspection.
"This substantial fine emphasizes the very high safety and regulatory significance of FirstEnergy's failure to comply with NRC requirements," said Luis Reyes, the NRC's executive director for operations.
Meanwhile: The House approves an $8-billion energy measure that would boost coal, natural gas, nuclear, and domestic crude oil production along with other energy sources.