NRC raises oversight at Nebraska's Cooper reactor

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday it will increase oversight at Nebraska Public Power District's Cooper nuclear power station in Nebraska due to a "white" inspection finding related to deficiencies in the plant's fire protection plan.

In a release, the NRC said inspectors found two of the plant's emergency operating procedures, used to safely shut down the plant in the event of a large fire, would not work as written because they contained steps that did not reflect the actual configuration of some plant equipment.

"As a consequence of this violation, these problems would have challenged the operators' ability to bring the plant to a cold shutdown condition in the event of certain fires," NRC Region IV Administrator Elmo Collins said in the release.

"The problem was promptly corrected," Collins said.

The NRC uses a color coded system to categorize inspection findings and plant performance. The colors range from "green" and then increase to "white," "yellow," and "red" depending on the safety significance of the issue.

NPPD has 30 days to appeal the "white" finding decision.

The 760-megawatt Cooper station, which entered service in 1974, is in Brownville in Nemaha County about 75 miles (120 km) south of Omaha, Nebraska.

NPPD has told the NRC it plans to file for a 20-year extension of the original 40-year operating license for the plant in September 2008.

One MW powers about 800 homes in Nebraska.