“Zero” COVID-19 infections at the nuclear plant

Duke Energy’s man-in-charge of the Oconee Nuclear Station said today there have been no cases of COVID-19 at the plant. And that’s in spite of the swarm of contract workers who were brought in for a scheduled re-fueling operation. Ed Burchfield, the site vice president at the plant, attributes the good fortune to the seriousness that Duke takes toward worker safety, especially during the pandemic. At one point recently, the re-fueling workforce added about 1,500 workers on plant grounds. There were questions raised about whether the pandemic was the right time for a re-fueling. But, as Burchfield told JoAnn Johnson of the Oconee Chamber of Commerce, the nuclear plant is considered essential because its product becomes part of the national grid of electricity. And nuclear officials, he explained, know the precise date when a nuclear unit requires a re-fueling. Periods of re-fueling also serve as an opportunity for important maintenance work on the nuclear facilities.