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NRC Identifies Cause Of Indian Point Shutdown

BUCHANAN, N.Y. -- The shutdown of the Indian Point Unit 2 reactor on Saturday occurred after a short involving an electrical breaker for the roof fan caused an electrical fault, according to an NRC resident inspector.

The shutdown of the Indian Point Unit 2 reactor on Saturday, Dec. 5 occurred after a short involving an electrical breaker for the roof fan caused an electrical fault.

The shutdown of the Indian Point Unit 2 reactor on Saturday, Dec. 5 occurred after a short involving an electrical breaker for the roof fan caused an electrical fault.

Photo Credit: File photo

Operators manually tripped, or shut down, the reactor at 5:30 p.m., when the short degraded voltage of the motorized drives for about 10 control rods. A preliminary investigation indicated the problem occurred following a sudden power loss to the mechanism holding the rods, said an NRC resident inspector. 

The rods, which regulate the level of fissioning and, in turn the level of power production, then dropped into the reactor core, the inspector said. The reactor is designed to shutdown if the control rods lose electricity.

Energy Corp, has said no radioactivity was released from Unit 2 and expect the unit to be online Tuesday or Wednesday.

Unit 3 was not affected and has continued to operate at 100-percent power. 

Government inspectors visited the site on Saturday and Sunday to independently verify the plant's safety, monitor operator responses and check on equipment functionality. No immediate concerns were identified. 

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