24 Jan (NucNet): General Electric Hitachi (GEH) has agreed to pay 2.7 million US dollars (1.9 million euros) for allegedly making false claims to the US Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission related to the design of its Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), the US Justice Department has said in a statement.
GEH allegedly made false statements about a component of the ESBWR known as the steam dryer, which removes liquid water droplets from steam produced by the nuclear reaction that generates electricity in boiling-water type reactors.
During the licencing and certification process, the NRC required that GEH demonstrate that vibrations caused by the steam dryer would not result in damage to the nuclear plant.
“GEH allegedly concealed known flaws in its steam dryer analysis and falsely represented that it had properly analysed the steam dryer in accordance with applicable standards and had verified the accuracy of its modelling using reliable data,” the Justice Department statement said.
The DOE funded up to half of the costs for developing, engineering and obtaining design certification for the ESBWR between 2007 and 2012.
In March 2011, the NRC found the ESBWR design technically acceptable, but did not fully certify it.
“The NRC continues to rigorously review the ESBWR application in order to reach a final design certification decision, ensure compliance with NRC regulations and protect public health and safety,” said Glenn Tracy, director of NRC’s office of new reactors.
The allegations resolved by the settlement arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act by LeRay Dandy, a former employee of GE Hitachi. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens can sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Mr Dandy’s share of the settlement has not been determined.
