Waterford – The Unit 2 reactor at Millstone Power Station may be required to undergo additional federal oversight this year because of a mishandled accidental increase in power that occurred in February, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said today.

On Feb. 12, a reactor operator at Unit 2 caused an increase in power that his control room crew failed to prevent from escalating to an 8-percent increase before getting the situation under control. The crew was conducting main turbine control valve testing at the time.

While the incident did not pose safety concerns, the NRC’s special inspection team has found that the workers involved “failed to carry out their assigned roles and responsibilities.” Also at fault was “poor reactivity management,” today’s report states.

Millstone owner Dominion has 10 days to decide whether to contest the findings.

Dominion Spokesman Ken Holt said the company is reviewing the report.

On Wednesday, the company met with the NRC to discuss its 2010 annual assessment, which was favorable and expected to result in routine inspections this year.