There was no release of radioactivity and no threat to the safety of workers or the public.
Plant officials said the shutdown occurred when "two pumps that send water from a drain tank to the steam generators stopped operating."
Indian Point Unit 2 is a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor, which uses steam generated by the ultra-hot radioactive core to turn a turbine and create electricity.
"Workers were testing a valve associated with the equipment when the pumps, which are located on the non-nuclear side of the plant, stopped operating," plant officials said.
Officials are investigating the cause of the incident. Unit 2 operated for 252 days prior to Wednesday’s shutdown. Unit 3 is currently operating at full power and has been online for 104 days. Together, the two reactors generate about 2,000 megawatts of electricity.
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