[threeoeight]

I have my doubts. We had PSAR approved, foundations poured and walls up 50 feet when the NRC (after some hearing with intervenor's) decided some equipment capacities must be enlarged so we have to cancel exiting orders for heat exchangers etc. etc. and redesign a huge building with 3’ thick walls to accommodate the new equipment. Delay, delay delay on approved designs.

At the hearings, the same issues that were brought up at other plants were brought up again and again and recognized as legitimate by the hearing judge who was shopped for by the anti-nuke nuts from the east coast or west coast.

You design something with a safety margin of 5 to accommodate unknowns and future changes. The NRC then revises the local seismic site accelerations reducing the safety factor to 4.5 and the NRC tells you to never mind the original margin, redesign or re-qualify to the original design margin of 5.

A generic plan design will help but the crazies will still find judges who will hear them and impose absurd requirements for the political purpose of delaying the plants, driving up costs and cancellation.

The problem is political and until these enemies of America
and our secure future are routed and disposed of, we will endlessly spin our wheels on progress.

[wolfpat]

You do have a point. The nuts have a lot of resources at their disposal.

The lead intervenor for the plant I was working in requested the records for all the safety related welds in the plant, including the names of the welders. That cost a couple million to provide.