Nuclear Power Plant Never Addressed 1992 Safety Advisory

Operators of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth, Massachusetts, have put workers on fire watches after acknowledging that it never addressed a federal safety advisory dating back more than two decades.

The Cape Cod Times reported Wednesday that Pilgrim officials were reviewing emergency shutdown plans this week when they discovered the oversight.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned U.S. nuclear plants in 1992 that in the unlikely event of a fire in a control room, systems could short circuit and prevent a remote reactor shutdown.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan says until the underlying problem is corrected, workers are being stationed at two locations to watch for any sign of fire.

Pilgrim is already under increased scrutiny by federal regulators in the wake of an unplanned shutdown during a winter storm.