The federal Nuclear Regulator Commission (NRC) recently announced that it downgraded the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s safety rating, The Boston Globe reports.

The Plymouth facility, owned by Entergy Corp., has had reccurring problems with its safety relief valves, and experienced multiple unplanned shutdowns—like the “safe, stable’’ shutdown in August. The plant is now ranked in the next-to-lowest performance category, and is just one of three nuclear power reactors in the country to have this ranking, according to the Globe. Currently, there are no plants in the lowest ranking.

The safety release valves are crucial to alleviating pressure and cooling the reactor—if the reactor is not adequately cooled, the Globe reports, the fuel can melt and lead to a radiation leak. A Pilgrim spokeswoman said other systems would kick in if a valve stopped working.


In a statement, NRC Region 1 Administrator Dan Dorman said the most recent finding “highlights the continuing weaknesses in the implementation of Entergy’s program for identifying, evaluating and resolving problems at Pilgrim.’’ Dorman said, “Our increased oversight will focus on understanding the reasons for those weaknesses and the actions needed to achieve sustained improvements.’’

The plant will be subject to more stringent oversight by regulators as they investigate what problems—like equipment failures and human error—led to the previous shutdowns, according to the Globe.

Read the full Globe story here.