U.S. government increases inspection at Virginia reactors near Quake site

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is sending additional inspectors to the Virginia nuclear power plant closest to the epicenter of last week’s earthquake, the agency said on Monday. The agency said it now appears the 5.8-magnitude earthquake exceeded the ground motion the two reactors were designed to handle. The North Anna plant is located about 19.3 kilometers from the epicenter of the earthquake that struck northwest of Richmond, Virginia last Tuesday. The plant temporarily lost power as a result of the earthquake but there was no significant damage to safety systems. The NRC said the additional inspection should not be interpreted to mean the plant is less safe. The plant’s operator notified the NRC Friday that its analysis of ground shaking showed the earthquake could have exceeded its design.