PITTSBURGH, Oct. 20, 2016 – Westinghouse Electric Company announced that it received authorization today from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart the Conversion Area operations of the Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (Columbia, South Carolina) after the area was shut down in July due to safety concerns over a ventilation scrubber.
“We have been strengthened by the rigorous effort put forth to obtain the NRC’s restart approval—this is a positive milestone in our fuel manufacturing history. Since we have completed all required restart commitments, the focus now is to prepare the operations for restart and recovery,” said Michele DeWitt, Westinghouse’s interim senior vice president, Nuclear Fuel and Components Manufacturing.
“Westinghouse remains focused on safety and quality, and fully intends to ensure that our improvements are sustainable through restart and beyond. We are committed to engaging our community, customers, workforce and the industry throughout this process,” said DeWitt.
The Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility is part of Westinghouse Electric Company’s nuclear fuel and components manufacturing business and is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. The site houses commercial nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities, product engineering and testing laboratories, and fuel marketing and contract administration functions. The facility employs nearly 1,000 personnel, including manufacturing and nuclear fuel experts, and is located in Columbia, South Carolina in the U.S.