Nuclear powerBird droppings caused N.Y. nuclear reactor power outage
On 14 December, one of the nuclear reactors at Indian Point nuclear power plant outside New York City was safely shut down for three days, following an electrical disturbance on outdoor high voltage transmission lines. Outside experts investigating the incident found the bird droppings were the cause of the electrical disturbance.
New York's Indian Point nuclear power plant // Source: commons.wikimedia.com
On 14 December, one of the nuclear reactors at Indian Point nuclear power plant outside New York City was safely shut down for three days, following an electrical disturbance on outdoor high voltage transmission lines. Entergy Corp., which operates the power plant, hired outside expert to analyze the incident, and they found that the culprit was what the experts call bird “streaming.”
NBC News reports that in a report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) last month, Entergy said the automatic reactor shutdown was apparently the result of bird feces which caused an electric arc between wires on a feeder line at a transmission tower.
“If it has nowhere to send its electricity, the generator senses that and automatically shuts down,” Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi said.
Plant managers told the NRC that the plant was revising preventive maintenance procedures, additing inspections and cleaning, and installing bird guards on transmission towers.
Nappi told reporters that said he could not recall a similar incident in the past several years at Indian Point, which is located along the Hudson River north of New York City.
NRC spokesman Eliot Brenner said it was not unusual for wildlife to trigger electrical outages on transmission lines, regardless of the generation source of the electricity. “Squirrels are the biggest offenders,” he said.
He said he did not know whether the NRC was tracking animal-related reactor outages. “They’re kind of few and far between, but they’re not uncommon,” he said.
