Regulators have found a handful of new problems at a Nebraska power plant that suffered flood damage earlier this year, prompting closer scrutiny as repairs are made to the plant north of Omaha, they said yesterday.

The tougher oversight will likely further delay the restart of the Omaha Public Power District plant in Fort Calhoun, which was scheduled to come back online early next year.

Fort Calhoun has been shut down since April, when it was being refueled. Flooding along the Missouri River then forced it to remain shut as floodwaters surrounded the plant.

The new problems include deficiencies in the Omaha Public Power District's emergency response and either a design or installation flaw that contributed to a June fire at the plant. Inspectors also found problems with the utility's analysis of how the plant would withstand various accident conditions, such as earthquakes, tornadoes or loss of coolant, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said. None of these represents a public safety threat, he said.

The plant was already facing heightened oversight after a key electrical part failed during a test in 2010 and deficiencies were found in flood planning. These problems placed Fort Calhoun as one of only two nuclear power plants in the country at level four of NRC's oversight system. Yesterday's move places Fort Calhoun in a special category for plants that are shut down, giving regulators broad authority to conduct inspections (Josh Funk, AP/Yahoo News, Dec. 13). -- AS