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October 12, 2008 4:40:49 AM CDT

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NRC Warns of Shoddy Nuke Parts

Posted Apr 11, 08 3:11 AM CDT in World,  US,  Technology,  Business 

(Newser) – An influx of shoddy and counterfeit parts from China and elsewhere could pose safety hazards in US nuclear power plants, warn officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A dramatic decline in the number of domestic suppliers is making reliable nuclear parts harder to find, reports the Wall Street Journal. The warning comes as nuclear power is making a comeback in the US, with 15 new plants on the drawing board.

Last year the US recalled 140,000 counterfeit circuit breakers made in China that were deemed fire hazards.  "The dramatic decline in the domestic supply chain is clearly having an effect," said the NRC's chairman. "The global supply chain is stretched, if not to the breaking point, at least to the tipping point."

Source Wall Street Journal

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SanOnofre nuclear power station in Southern California. The federal government has warned the nuclear power industry about unsafe counterfeit parts from foreign sources.   ((c) TravOC)
Duke Energy's McGuire Nuclear Station in Cowans Ford, N.C. Although nuclear energy enjoys a comeback, reliable parts are harder to find.   (AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek)
China's first nuclear power plant,southwest of Shanghai. As the nuclear energy industry expands, China is poised to become a major global supplier of parts.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, file)
The control room at a US nuclear power plant. The government has warned of a possible influx of counterfeit and shoddy parts from foreign manufacturers.   (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
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nuclear power  • nuclear power plants  • Consumer Product Safety Commission  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission  • Constellation Energy Group


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