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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Going Nuclear: Notes from the officially unofficial book tour
I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.
Educational Session|Panel|Plant Reliability
Monday, August 8, 2022|1:30–3:00PM EDT|Banyan 2
Session Chair:
Bill Eckes (INPO)
Track Organizer:
Emmett Wilmes (MPR)
Knowledge Manager:
Ashley Bridgmon (Southern Co.)
As the nuclear industry implements actions and initiatives to be competitive in a market with historically low natural gas prices and introduction of renewable generation sources such as wind and solar, maintaining high capacity factors is essential to keeping plants operating. There are typically more than 200 equipment failures events each year that result in lost generation. In September 2021, INPO issued IER 21-04 to address this issue and improve plant reliability in the industry. The IER approach to improving performance addresses changing behaviors and the culture of corporate and site staff to focus on plant reliability. These changes include using a consequence bias for risk identification and mitigation and cross-functional engagement. This session will provide an overview of the actions taken in the industry to respond to the IER recommendations. This session will include a INPO and utility panel discussion on programs, their results, and how they relate to addressing INPO IER 21-04.
Shawn Simons
INPO
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