NRC Reports that No Nuclear Plants Are Shutdown as a Result of Hurricane Sandy
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is continuing to monitor impacts from Hurricane Sandy on nuclear power plants in the Northeastern United States. As of 3 p.m. EDT.
Monday, no plants have had to shut down as a result of the storm although some plants, including Oyster Creek and Salem Unit 2, were already out of service for regularly scheduled refueling and maintenance outages. All plants remain in a safe condition, with emergency equipment available if needed and NRC inspectors on-site.
“Given the breadth and intensity of this historic storm, the NRC is keeping a close watch on all of the nuclear power plants that could be impacted,” NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane said.
Our extra inspectors sent to the potentially affected sites will continue, on an around-the-clock basis, to independently verify that the safety of these plants is maintained until the storm has passed and afterwards.
The NRC has dispatched inspectors to all of the plants that could experience effects of the storm.
These include:
- Oyster Creek, in Lacey Township,
- N.J.; Salem and Hope Creek,
- in Hancocks Bridge,
- N.J.; Calvert Cliffs,
- in Lusby, Md.;
- Limerick, in Limerick Township, Pa.;
- Peach Bottom, in Delta, Pa.;
- Three Mile Island, in Middletown, Pa.;
- Susquehanna, in Salem Township, Pa.;
- Indian Point, in Buchanan, N.Y.;
- and Millstone, in Waterford, Conn.
Those inspectors, working with the NRC inspectors on-site on a daily basis, will independently verify that operators are following relevant procedures to ensure plant safety before, during and after the storm.
In addition, the NRC is monitoring the storm from its emergency response centers. Nuclear power plant procedures require that the facilities shut down under certain severe weather conditions. The plants’ emergency diesel generators are available if off-site power is lost during the storm. Also, all plants have flood protection above the predicted storm surge, and key components and systems are housed in watertight buildings capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds and flooding.
Email: [email protected] NRC will continue to track Hurricane Sandy using the resources of all federal
agencies and several weather forecasting services. The agency will also continue to
communicate on storm-related developments with other federal and state agencies.
Tags: hope creek, limerick township pa, nuclear power plants, nuclear regulatory commission, peach bottom
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