nuclear-news

Duke Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant declares an”unusual event”

Florence floodwaters limit access to nuclear power plant, ‘unusual event’ declared  By Travis Fedschun | Fox News, 18 Sept 18, A nuclear power plant just outside of Wilmington, North Carolina declared an “unusual event” Monday after rising floodwaters and storm damage caused limited access to the facility, officials said.

Duke Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant – located about 30 miles south of Wilmington – declared the state of emergency, the lowest required by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, after roads surrounding the 1,200-acre complex were impacted by flooding and downed trees.

“None of the roads are passable,” NRC spokesman Joey Ledford told the News & Observer. “The plant is safe. The reactors are in hot stand-by mode 3 shutdown.”………

The Brunswick plant’s two reactors are of the same design as those in Fukushima, Japan, which infamously exploded and leaked radiation following a 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami. Following that disaster, federal regulators required all U.S. nuclear plants to perform upgrades to better withstand earthquakes and flooding.

Ledford told Fox News that both units still have offsite power, and that essential plant employees and NRC inspectors remain on site, though storm damage is “limiting access to the site by personal vehicles.”

Before the storm arrived, the NRC sent additional inspectors and provided staff to give around-the-clock support during the storm…….. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/09/17/florence-floodwaters-cut-off-nuclear-power-plant-unusual-event-declared.html

September 18, 2018 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized