Sep 9 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Anastasia Ustinova Houston Chronicle

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday it will investigate security concerns at the South Texas Project nuclear plant after a report saying guards pointed out holes in the plant's security system.

While a spokesman for the agency confirmed the investigation, he declined to offer details.

"We will take a look at the issues as they've been described, and if there is anything that needs to be addressed, it will be addressed," agency spokesman Scott Burnell said. "It's possible that we will not say anything publicly."

Earlier this week, the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Washington-based nonprofit advocacy group, issued a report citing security concerns raised by unnamed guards who work at the South Texas Project, 90 miles southwest of Houston. The owners of the plant are NRG Energy, CPS Energy and the city of Austin.

Mark McBurnett, vice president of oversight and regulatory affairs at the South Texas Project, said the plant's management has reviewed and addressed most of the complaints under review by the federal agency that regulates the nuclear industry.

"It's fully expected that they will look into that as well," he said. "I would expect nothing less than a thorough evaluation by them."

The report includes allegations that security guards failed to search equipment trucks entering the areas near the reactor and once allowed a convicted felon into the plant. The report also alleges that the plant's maintenance staff has easy access to firearms, and it says some surveillance cameras and radio equipment do not work.

The Union of Concerned Scientists concluded that "the security risk for the South Texas Project is violating federal regulations and requirements and posing an undue threat to nearby communities."

The Security Police and Fire Professionals of America Union that represents security guards at the plant could not be reached for comment.

Officials with the Florida-based Wackenhut Corp., the contractor that provides plant security, said some of the complaints are outdated and have already been investigated.

"We welcome the NRC's investigation. It will legitimize our own investigation," said Richard Michau, president of Wackenhut's Nuclear Services Division. He declined to provide further details.

The federal investigation comes not long after NRG announced a plan to spend up to $5.2 billion to more than double the plant's capacity by 2,700 megawatts by adding two reactors, which it hopes will be operating by 2014.

anastasia.ustinova@chron.com