U.S. regulator to raise oversight at Georgia Vogtle nuclear power reactor

Nov 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Thursday said it will increase oversight at one of the Southern Co operated Vogtle nuclear power plants under construction in Waynesboro, Georgia.

The decision to increase oversight comes after finalizing two inspection findings involving the safety-related electrical raceway system at Unit 3, the NRC said.

The NRC said it had launched a special inspection in June 2021 and found two violations of federal regulations at the site.

"NRC inspectors found that Southern Nuclear did not properly implement its corrective action program, resulting in construction quality issues, extensive rework, and a report to the NRC for a significant quality assurance breakdown."

"They also found that the company did not follow design specifications while installing safety-related cables for reactor coolant pumps and equipment designed to shut down the reactor safely."

The NRC said these findings fall under a low-to-moderate safety significance and will schedule a supplemental inspection to verify Southern Nuclear understands the root cause and has taken appropriate corrective actions.

(Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru Editing by Marguerita Choy)