New York Nuclear Reactor Goes Into Automatic Shutdown

Scriba, NY – The owners of the Nine Mile Point Unit 1 this morning are trying to figure out why the recently refueled nuclear reactor automatically shut down at 8:51 p.m. Monday.

The plant responded according to design and automatically shut down with all rods that control the nuclear reaction fully inserting into the reactor, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group said this morning.

“The plant is in a safe and stable condition,” the company said in a news release.

The reactor restarted April 19 after being out of service for maintenance and refueling.

“We’re working to identify the cause of the shutdown and to complete any repairs that are necessary to return the unit to service safely and reliably,” said Jill Lyon, speaking for Constellation.

Lyon, citing business reasons, would not comment on when the reactor is expected to return to service.

Nuclear power plants are designed to automatically shut down in response to certain indications and conditions, the company said.

Nine Mile Unit 1 had been operating at 47 percent power when the shutdown occurred on Monday night.

Unit 1 Operators had lowered reactor power on April 26 based on indications within the feedwater system. The plant had been operating at reduced levels while equipment repairs were in progress, the company said.

Published: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 10:31 AM Updated: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 10:58 AM

Source: Syracuse

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