atomic power review
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- NEI: "Nuclear Energy Facilities Prove Resilience" (Press Release)
- SITREP on Nuclear Plants - 1 PM 10/30
- Entergy's Northeast Nuclear Plants Safely Weather Hurricane Sandy
- 7:45 AM Nuclear Plant SITREP - Hurricane Sandy
- Hurricane Sandy update -- 11:00 PM Eastern 10/29
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Posted: 30 Oct 2012 10:56 AM PDT
Press release from the Nuclear Energy Institute:
-------------------- Nuclear Energy Institute FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nuclear Energy Facilities Prove Resilience During Hurricane Sandy
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Thirty-four
nuclear energy facilities in the path of Hurricane Sandy have responded
well and safely to this powerful storm, demonstrating their resilience
against severe natural forces.
Careful planning
and comprehensive preparations days in advance of the storm paid off at
all of the facilities, which were prepared to take the steps necessary
to maintain safety against high winds, record flooding and disturbances
on the regional electric grid. Highly trained reactor operators and
emergency response personnel stationed at the plants throughout the
storm were able to take actions beyond their usual duties to protect the
power plants and communities that surround them. As Hurricane Sandy
moves beyond the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states after knocking out
electricity to seven million customers in 13 states, nuclear facility
operators are conducting thorough inspections to ensure that all systems
and equipment are ready to maintain the facilities in a safe condition.
Of
the 34 nuclear facilities from South Carolina to Vermont in Hurricane
Sandy’s path, 24 continued to operate safely and generate electricity
throughout the event. Seven were already shut down for refueling or
inspection, and three in New Jersey or New York safely shut down, as
designed, because of storm conditions or grid disturbances. Inspectors
from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission have been stationed at each
nuclear energy facility to oversee preparation for and recovery from the
storm.
“Hurricane Sandy once again demonstrates
the robust construction of nuclear energy facilities, which are built to
withstand extreme flooding and hurricane-force winds that are beyond
that historically reported for each area,” said Marvin S. Fertel,
president and chief executive officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute.
“Beyond the physical strength of these nuclear power plants, the
professional crews that operate and maintain them take exacting
precautions as significant storms approach. They also coordinate with
local, state and federal emergency response officials.
“Our
facilities’ ability to weather the strongest Atlantic tropical storm on
record is due to rigorous precautions taken in advance of the storm. In
the days prior to Sandy storming the Atlantic coast, nuclear plant
operators took a series of actions outlined in their emergency
preparedness plans,” Fertel said. “These include securing or moving any
equipment that could possibly become airborne due to high winds and
verifying that weather-tight doors and water intakes are prepared. Each
plant site also has numerous emergency backup diesel generators that are
tested and ready to provide electricity for critical operations if
electric power from the grid is lost.”
As a
precaution, a reactor will be shut down at least two hours before the
onset of hurricane-force winds at the site, typically between 70 and 75
miles per hour. If there is a loss of off-site power during or following
a hurricane, reactors automatically shut down as a precaution and the
emergency backup diesel generators will begin operating to provide
electrical power to plant safety systems.
“Actions taken by
companies operating reactors in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast once
again demonstrate that nuclear energy facilities are well protected
against extreme natural events,” Fertel said.
In
2011, 24 reactors at 15 facilities from North Carolina to New England
safely withstood Hurricane Irene, a category 3 hurricane. In 2005,
Entergy safely shut down Waterford 3 in Louisiana after Hurricane
Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, knocked out off-site power and damaged
the regional electrical infrastructure. Florida Power & Light in
2004 safely shut down St. Lucie 1 and 2 in Florida after Hurricane
Jeanne caused a loss of off-site power.
During
Hurricane Sandy, Exelon Corp.’s Oyster Creek reactor in New Jersey,
which was shut down before the storm for a refueling outage, declared an
alert on Oct. 29. The alert, the second lowest of four Nuclear
Regulatory Commission action levels, was in response to high water
levels at the facility’s cooling water intake structure. Exelon is in
the process of restoring off-site power to the facility. Until then,
Oyster Creek is being safely powered by backup diesel-driven electrical
generators that have fuel to power the reactor’s safety systems for more
than two weeks. The plant’s reactor and used fuel storage pool have
ample water supplies for cooling.
The following is a summary of U.S. nuclear power plant performance during Hurricane Sandy (as of 11 a.m. Oct 30).
North Carolina:
Brunswick 1 and 2—continued operating at 100 percent power.
Virginia:
Surry 1 and 2—continued operating at 100 percent power North Anna 1 and 2—continued operating at 100 percent power.
Maryland:
Calvert Cliffs 1 and 2—continued operating at 100 percent power.
New Jersey:
Oyster Creek—shut down for refueling outage; alert declared Oct. 29 due to high water level at water intake structure Hope Creek 1—continued operating at 100 percent power Salem 1—manual safe shut down from 100 percent power on Oct. 30 due to high water level at water intake structure Salem 2—shut down for refueling outage.
Pennsylvania:
Peach Bottom 2 and 3—continued operating at 100 percent power Three Mile Island 1—continued operating at 100 percent power Limerick 1 and 2—safely reduced power from 100 percent to 50 percent and 22 percent respectively on Oct. 30 due to storm effects and at the request of the regional electric grid operator Beaver Valley 1—continued operating at 100 percent power Beaver Valley 2—shut down for refueling outage Susquehanna 1—shut down for turbine inspection Susquehanna 2—continued operating at 75 percent power.
Ohio:
Perry 1—safely reduced power from 100 percent to 91 percent on Oct. 30 at the request of the regional electric grid operator Davis-Besse—continued operating at 100 percent power.
New York:
Indian Point 2—continued operating at 100 percent power Indian Point 3—manual safe shut down from 100 percent power on Oct. 30 due to an electric grid disruption Ginna—shut down for refueling outage Fitzpatrick—continued operating at 100 percent power Nine Mile Point 1—manual safe shut down from 100 percent power on Oct. 29 due to an electric grid disruption Nine Mile Point 2—continued operating at 100 percent power.
Connecticut:
Millstone 2—shut down for refueling outage Millstone 3—safely reduced power from 100 percent to 75 percent on Oct. 29 at the request of the electric grid operator.
Massachusetts:
Pilgrim 1—continued operating at 100 percent power.
New Hampshire:
Seabrook 1—shut down for refueling outage, but safely restarted Oct. 30 and is at 20 percent power.
Vermont:
Vermont Yankee—safely reduced power from 100 percent to 90 percent on Oct. 30 at the request of the regional electric grid operator.
Nuclear
power plants operating in 31 states provide electricity to one of every
five U.S. homes and businesses. Nuclear energy produces more
electricity than any other source in Connecticut, Illinois, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia.
Nuclear
energy facilities are designed to withstand natural occurrences greater
than those encountered in the regions where they are located. They are
built to withstand floods, earthquakes and high winds, and have numerous
safety systems that will operate and safely shut the reactor down in
the event of a loss of off-site power.
U.S. nuclear energy facilities have a long history of successfully and safely responding to natural challenges.
--------------------
1:55 PM Eastern 10/30/2012
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Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:55 AM PDT
Several links to pass along with this update..
-NRC has issued a fresh press release, which includes little different information that we've already presented and / or linked here. Click here to see it. -The folks behind ANS Nuclear Cafe have compiled a massive Hurricane Sandy / Nuclear Plant resource, with updates and links galore. This should be the first stop for anyone trying to get a handle on the situation; click here to see it. -There are some stories circulating (mostly on anti-nuclear news "services") about the Oyster Creek nuclear plant. We took care of the myths being spread already with a special article I wrote for ANS Nuclear Cafe last evening. Click here to read it. All nuclear plants are in a safe condition at this time in the storm affected areas. 12:55 PM Eastern 10/30/2012 ATOMIC POWER REVIEW |
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Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:56 AM PDT
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Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:48 AM PDT
Updates on new information since last night:
-Indian Point Unit 3 has been shut down due to grid issues; Unit 2 remains at full power. UPDATE at 8 AM -- According to Indian Point's Facebook page, "The disturbance originated in electrical equipment external to Indian Point that is part of the electrical grid. The disturbance meant that Indian Point 3 had no connection to send its electricity to the grid, so the generator automatically shut down since it had nowhere to send the power, Nappi {a spokesman} said." (It sounds to me as if Unit 3 experienced a load reject and shut down automatically.) Click here to see the article quoted by Indian Point's Facebook page. -Salem Unit 1 has been shut down. Click here for press release. -Nine Mile Point Unit 1 suffered a load reject last evening at 9 PM when switchyard damage occurred and shut down; Unit 2 remains at full power. Click here for an article with CENG quotes. (Updated 8:45 AM) -Limerick has reduced power; Reuters has reported 91 percent output. (8:45 AM - NRC morning update shows Limerick Unit 1 at 48 percent power and Unit 2 at 27 percent power.) A number of the plants on line this morning are well below 100% output. -Oyster Creek, shut down for refueling, is on the diesels (offsite power having been disrupted) with over two weeks worth of diesel fuel on hand. No safety issues have been announced at any nuclear plant as a result of the storm. Plants not mentioned are operating as they were before the storm (if on line, then on line; if shut down, then still shut down.) More information as it becomes available. 7:45 AM Eastern 10/30/2012 -- Updated as needed. ATOMIC POWER REVIEW |
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Posted: 29 Oct 2012 08:05 PM PDT
Ten minutes
ago, the Indian Point twitter account reported that Indian Point,
Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim were all still on line producing power.
NRC reports that no nuclear plants have yet shut down due to the storm. Oyster Creek: -Oyster Creek has declared, this evening, an Unusual Event (at about 7 PM) and then an Alert (at about 8:45 PM) due to rising water levels in the plant intake structure. The plant is shut down for refueling. Click here to see the most recent NRC release on this event. -False allegations about Oyster Creek's ability to cool the spent fuel pool in the event of LOOP (Loss Of Offsite Power) are circulating on the usual anti-nuclear websites. Click here to see my article on the ANS Nuclear Cafe that shows Oyster Creek's readiness, with redundant cooling systems, redundant backup power generating systems and robust plant design. 11:05 PM Eastern 10/29/2012 ATOMIC POWER REVIEW | ||||||||||||||
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