NRC Warns of Shoddy Nuke Parts

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." (More nuclear power stories.)