Nuclear matters Two nuclear reactors shut down Sunday because of problems
Two nuclear reactors — Indian Point nuclear power plant, about twenty-five miles north of New York City, and Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont — had to be shut down Sunday; Indian Points was shut down because a transformer caught fire, and Vermont Yankee was shut down because radioactive water began leaking from one of its pipes
Vermont Yankee, shut down for radioactive water leak // Source: msn.com
Two nuclear reactors at separate plants were shut down within half an hour after a transformer caught fire at one and radioactive water began leaking from the other.
Officials at the Indian Point nuclear power plant, about twenty-five miles north of New York City, shut down a reactor after a transformer exploded Sunday at around 6:45 p.m. No radiation leaked, and no injuries were reported.
Less than half an hour later and 175 miles away, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vermont, was shut down after workers discovered a pipe leaking radioactive water. About sixty drops per minute were being released from the pipe, but officials said there was no danger of the leak reaching groundwater.
AOL News reports that both power plants are owned by Entergy Corp. in New Orleans. “No radioactivity leaked out,” Larry Smith of Entergy told AOL News Monday, speaking of the shutdown at Vermont Yankee.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) spokesman Neil Sheehan said that the night of double shutdowns was a “complete coincidence” and that there was no danger to the public, according to the New York Daily News. “The levels are so low, they really wouldn’t be harmful to anybody,” he said. “There is no immediate health or safety concern as far as this leakage. Any leakage would be captured by the plant system, so there’s no exposure to the public.”
This is the latest in a series of small leaks from the Vermont Yankee plant. Entergy recently announced that it is trying to sell the plant, a deal that could be made difficult by state regulations. Earlier this year, the Vermont Legislature voted down an extension on Vermont Yankee after radioactive tritium was found to have leaked from the plant into groundwater.
Another transformer fire shut down Indian Point on April 6, 2007.
