Fukushima Water Cleanup Deadline Unlikely to be Met

According to recent calculations by Bloomberg News, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) is unlikely to meet its March 2015 deadline to complete the filtering of cancer-causing radioactive isotopes at its wrecked nuclear plant in Fukushima.

Tepco’s President, Naomi Hirose, made a commitment to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September of last year to remedy the contamination of groundwater their plant has caused. Bloomberg estimates suggested that filtering out the isotope strontium, which has been linked to leukemia, from the stored water will take more time than they have left with the set deadline.

Spokeswoman Mayumi Yoshida stated earlier this month that Tepco can, “only say we’ll make efforts to achieve that target” of reaching their goal of decontamination before the deadlines that are less than a year away.

The prolonging of the cleanup process has other implications as well, including an extension on a South Korean ban on Japanese seafood imports, and an increased demand in the U.S. for an international takeover of the cleanup process. While the implications of not completing the cleanup on time have not yet been discussed, Tepco is continually seeking ways to remedy the after effects of the March 11, 2011 accident.

The levels of toxic waters are continually rising at a rate of 400,000 liters per day, and as of July 29, the site was said to have more than 373,000,000 liters of radioactive water still needing treatment. With numerous failed attempts at reducing the amount of irradiated water released, Tepco’s ability to reach the deadline is looking incredibly bleak, but Yoshida reassures, “we are doing everything we can do.”

Years later we are once again being reminded of the Fukushima crisis and the magnitude of its effects. Just as it was discussed in the aftermath of the incident, the assistance of a cloud-based, centralized data management system could help to take action on the cleanup. With today’s technology it is possible to store relevant data in a system that is accessible to all stakeholders, supplies a way to continuously monitor and analyze levels of isotopes, and offers opportunities to make better decisions and improve safety at nuclear power plants.

Exelon Nuclear Selects Locus’ Software for Data Management at its Nuclear Generating Stations

The use of Locus’ cloud-based, environmental software confirms Exelon’s commitment to environmental stewardship

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., 27 May 2014 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in cloud-based environmental compliance and information management software, announced today that Exelon Nuclear is using Locus’ EIM and ePortal software at its nuclear generating stations and expanding this year to additional sites.

Exelon Nuclear is a business unit of Exelon Generation, which is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 34,700 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company has made a long-standing commitment to the environment and in 2013 two separate global authorities on corporate sustainability—the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and CDP—recognized Exelon for its sustainability performance and climate change performance and reporting. Exelon is the only U.S. utility on CDP Global Indexes for Climate Performance and Disclosure.

Locus systems have been fully implemented to collect, manage, and organize environmental information at Exelon’s and their subsidiaries’ nuclear power stations.

“With the increased focus on nuclear power safety, and the decommissioning of older-generation power plants, we are proud that Exelon has chosen our cloud-based software to manage its operational data, which are subject to a different set of regulatory requirements from those typically seen at other sites. This award validates Locus’ long-term commitment to helping the utility industry improve sustainability performance at all levels,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

“At Exelon, our commitment to the environment is integral to our customers and corporate strategy. Since its inception, Exelon has focused on the business value of reducing its impact on the environment, better meeting the needs of our customers, employees and the communities we serve,” said Francis Leone, Chemistry, Radwaste, and Environmental Manager for Exelon Nuclear. “We selected Locus as a strategic technology partner because of its advanced domain expertise, scalable cloud-based technology, comprehensive vision of centralized analytics of environmental management systems, and deep understanding of the nuclear industry. We are very pleased that we now have complete ownership of and easy access to our data, allowing us to continue operating our fleet in a transparent way so that the company and public can witness first-hand our commitment to long-term sustainability.”

Locus has been collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over the last several years to develop and implement advanced information management systems at nuclear power plant sites and weapon complexes and is the leading provider of environmental and radionuclides information management in this important industry.

Exelon Nuclear will use Locus EIM and ePortal software to improve its data gathering and management, monitoring and reporting at its nuclear sites. Locus’ web-based software EIM is specifically designed to manage data from these types of operations, and provides an unmatched level of data security. The software will also help Exelon enforce an extensive set of QA/QC requirements on all uploaded data. The system helps reporting entities enforce data quality in accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or other standards, such as NQA-1, and ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q 9001:2000, and to validate incoming analytical data.

 

ABOUT EXELON
Exelon Corporation is the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately $24.9 billion in annual revenues. The Exelon family of companies participates in every stage of the energy business, from generation to competitive energy sales to transmission to delivery. Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon has operations and business activities in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 34,700 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 100,000 business and public sector customers and approximately 1 million residential customers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO).

Exelon Nuclear Selects Locus’ Data Management Software

Exelon Nuclear will use Locus Technologies’ EIM and ePortal software to improve its data gathering and management, monitoring and reporting at its nuclear sites, the cloud-based environmental compliance and information management software company says.

The use of Locus’ cloud-based, environmental software confirms Exelon’s commitment to environmental stewardship

Originally Posted on Environmental Leader

SAN FRANCISCO, California —May 27, 2014 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in cloud-based environmental compliance and information management software, announced today that Exelon Nuclear is using Locus’ EIM and ePortal software at its nuclear generating stations and expanding this year to additional sites.

Exelon Nuclear is a business unit of Exelon Generation, which is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 34,700 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company has made a long-standing commitment to the environment and in 2013 two separate global authorities on corporate sustainability—the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and CDP—recognized Exelon for its sustainability performance and climate change performance and reporting. Exelon is the only U.S. utility on CDP Global Indexes for Climate Performance and Disclosure.

Locus systems have been fully implemented to collect, manage, and organize environmental information at Exelon’s and their subsidiaries nuclear power stations.

“With the increased focus on nuclear power safety, and the decommissioning of older-generation power plants, we are proud that Exelon has chosen our cloud-based software to manage its operational data, which are subject to a different set of regulatory requirements from those typically seen at other sites. This award validates Locus’ long-term commitment to helping the utility industry improve sustainability performance at all levels,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus.

“At Exelon, our commitment to the environment is integral to our customers and corporate strategy. Since its inception, Exelon has focused on the business value of reducing its impact on the environment, better meeting the needs of our customers, employees and the communities we serve,” said Francis Leone, Chemistry, Radwaste, and Environmental Manager for Exelon Nuclear. “We selected Locus as a strategic technology partner because of its advanced domain expertise, scalable cloud-based technology, comprehensive vision of centralized analytics of environmental management systems, and deep understanding of the nuclear industry. We are very pleased that we now have complete ownership of and easy access to our data, allowing us to continue operating our fleet in a transparent way so that the company and public can witness first-hand our commitment to long-term sustainability.”

Locus has been collaborating with the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over the last several years to develop and implement advanced information management systems at nuclear power plant sites and weapon complexes and is the leading provider of environmental and radionuclides information management in this important industry.

Exelon Nuclear will use Locus EIM and ePortal software to improve its data gathering and management, monitoring and reporting at its nuclear sites.  Locus’ web-based software EIM is specifically designed to manage data from these types of operations, and provides an unmatched level of data security. The software will also help Exelon enforce an extensive set of QA/QC requirements on all uploaded data. The system helps reporting entities enforce data quality in accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or other standards, such as NQA-1, and ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q 9001:2000, and to validate incoming analytical data.

About Exelon
Exelon Corporation is the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately $24.9 billion in annual revenues. The Exelon family of companies participates in every stage of the energy business, from generation to competitive energy sales to transmission to delivery. Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon has operations and business activities in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 34,700 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation business unit provides energy products and services to approximately 100,000 business and public sector customers and approximately 1 million residential customers. Exelon’s utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO).

Los Alamos National Laboratory Extends Contract with Locus Technologies for Four More Years

Locus to continue managing environmental data and information for the nation’s largest laboratory

SAN FRANCISCO, California and LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, October 28, 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in Web-based environmental software, announced today that Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has chosen to extend its contract with Locus for four more years.

LANL is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security (LANS), located in Los Alamos, N.M. LANL conducts multidisciplinary research in national security, outer space, renewable energy, medicine, nanotechnology, and supercomputing. LANL is one of three laboratories in the United States at which the government conducts classified work to care for the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Modifications that accompany the extended contract include additional functionality for air data management and reporting that involves better flexibility for increased data transparency. LANL also will put more focus on field and mobile devices, and significant enhancements will be made to Intellus New Mexico, the public-facing website that Locus created for LANL’s data.

The original contract between LANL and Locus began in 2011, with the option of extending the contract for four additional years. LANL will continue to use Locus’ Environmental Information Management software (EIM) to address legacy site contamination and to take a better aggregate view of its operations for environmental stewardship.

“We are very proud that LANL trusts our EIM software to continue assisting it with its environmental data management requirements,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus. “We look forward to continuing to work with the team of talented professionals at LANL, and also continuing to assist DOE sites with their environmental data management challenges.”

“High-quality data is a crucial component in environmental stewardship and our commitment to transparency with the public,” said Chris Echohawk, office leader of the Laboratory’s Operations Improvement Office.

 

ABOUT LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, the Babcock & Wilcox Company, and URS for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

LANL news media contact: Fred deSousa, (505) 665-3430, fdesousa@lanl.gov

EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop and NEI RETS-REMP Workshop Recap

Combining the NEI RETS-REMP with the EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop solidified a theme to unify efforts as utilities gain experience implementing protection programs.

Locus to attend and present at NEI’s RETS-REMP Workshop and the EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop

The RETS-REMP Workshop is a forum to exchange practical experiences and issues related to the Radioactive Effluent Technical Specifications (RETS) and Radiological Environmental Monitoring Programs (REMP) at commercial nuclear power plants.

Locus Adds New Functionality to Generate AREOR Data Summary Tables in its EIM Software

Locus’ Nuclear Customers can Easily Meet Regulatory Compliance with EIM

SAN FRANCISCO, 25 February 2013 — Locus Technologies (Locus), the industry leader in Cloud-computing enterprise software for environmental, energy, air, water, and compliance management, has added brand new functionality to its flagship EIM product that gives customers the ability to easily generate the Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report (AREOR) Data Summary Tables.

Any organization that has a Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program (REMP) must submit this report on an annual basis. The AREOR is highly analytical and requires specific groupings and summary statistics in order for an organization to meet regulatory compliance. Typically, generating these AREOR annual data summary tables are a tedious and time-intensive process.

Locus recognized this reporting difficulty after speaking with one of its customers, PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant. After listening to the current challenge and PG&E’s suggestions, the importance of building the AREOR data summary tables as a formatted report and making it available to all of EIM’s nuclear customer databases was apparent. Now, what used to take multiple weeks to complete is condensed down to a few hours.

“REMP professionals who create their site’s AREOR know how long it takes to generate data summary tables. Every year I spent around one to two weeks manipulating data in Excel spreadsheets creating these sampling matrix data tables for my AREOR,” said Martin Wright, Senior RP Engineer at Diablo Canyon. “With Locus EIM formatted reports, each sampling matrix data summary table is now generated in one to two seconds, with just a few clicks. The initial one time setup of the formatted templates took me about two hours to understand and actually setup in EIM. Once the templates are in place in EIM, I simply change the date ranges when generating the annual summary tables for my report. This feature will save 40 to 80 hours of workload for me each year.”

“Locus has a strong presence in the nuclear industry, and after hearing about the difficulties that our customers were experiencing when completing AREOR data summary tables, we knew it was necessary to make the AREOR tables an off-the-shelf formatted report within EIM,” said Neno Duplan, President and CEO of Locus. “This is a good example of when ‘wisdom of the crowd’ helps to advance knowledge and streamline otherwise tedious, but necessary processes. With a great idea from one customer—all EIM customers will benefit almost instantly and reduce their operating cost in years to come. That is the real power of a web-based system with a rolling upgrade model. We are grateful to PG&E for working with us and sharing their knowledge and experience in promoting the industry’s state-of-the-art technology.”

 

Despite Sandy’s Wrath, Nuclear Energy Facilities Stand Strong

This past week, the East Coast experienced the strongest Atlantic tropical storm on record. Despite the chaos and devastation Hurricane Sandy brought with it, nuclear energy facilities in the northeast seem to have stood strong.

Due to strategic planning and preparation beforehand, such as securing equipment, making sure doors were weather-tight and emergency backup diesel generators were ready to go, 24 out of 34 facilities from South Carolina to Vermont continued to generate electricity during the storm. Even though not all facilities remained in operation, all 34 responded well. Of the 10 that were shut down only three closed because of storm conditions, and the remaining seven were already closed due to refueling or inspection.

This successful response was largely due to the actions of reactor operators and emergency response personnel. These workers ensured the power plants and areas around the facilities remained safe throughout the storm.

“Hurricane Sandy once again demonstrates the robust construction of nuclear energy facilities, which are built to withstand extreme flooding and hurricane-force winds that are beyond that historically reported for each area,” said Marvin S. Fertel, president and chief executive officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

This preparation for the unknown certainly paid off in the battle against Sandy. In addition, many of those reactors have installed Locus’ Cloud-based EIM system to manage their environmental data. Consequently, their access to key data, or ability to add new data, has been unaffected by the storm.

It is during tragic natural disasters like this that the value a Cloud-based system brings to critical infrastructure environmental information management is truly proven.  The last location that an environmental information management system should be running from is within the plant itself. Both Fukushima and the BP Gulf spill disaster have shown that no critical software should run at the facility itself; that software and data could be destroyed (or become inaccessible )along with the facility, and the data that would have helped determine the cause of the disaster would be lost for all practical purposes. For these and other reasons, a Cloud-based alternative for environmental information management is the preferred way of managing such data. In the case of a disaster these Cloud-based systems can also be accessed from any location with Internet access, so data can be instantly accessible up until the disaster onset, and can continue to be remotely collected during and after the event.

Corporate Control of Radioactive Effluent and Environmental Monitoring Programs and Data

For utilities operating nuclear power plants, deploying a centralized environmental management system in the Cloud and housing all of their data in it is offering unprecedented opportunities for better monitoring, real-time analysis, and aggregating and reporting of data.

2012 EPRI Groundwater Protection Workshop Wrap-Up

The most significant discussions focused on the recent Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) guidance to combine Underground Piping and Tank Integrity efforts with the Groundwater Protection program as a whole.