Fire at the Indian Point Nuclear Facility
BUCHANAN, N.Y. Investigators are working to determine the cause of Friday’s explosion and fire on the grounds of the Indian Point nuclear energy center.
The incident forced the shut down of the Indian Point 3 nuclear reactor, and caused plant owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast to issue a “notice of unusual event.”
Plant safety director Michael Slobodien said an electrical transformer exploded and caught fire near the reactor shortly after 11 a.m.
“It’s in an area outside the nuclear part of the plant,” Slobodien told reporters. “The plant shut down safely and is under control.
“Anytime you have something of this nature that affects a major component like the transformer, you would shut down for safety sake and to conduct an investigation,” Slobodien said.
The transformer takes electricity from the reactor and feeds it to overhead power cables. It was protected by a sprinkler deluge system that automatically knocked down much of the fire, Slobodien said.
The plant’s own fire brigade also worked to put out the fire. The Verplanck Fire Department sent several units to Indian Point to serve as mutual aid, but they were not needed.
Westchester County sent health workers to monitor air quality near the plant after the fire. The monitors detected no release of radiation, according to Tony Sutton, the county’s Commissioner of Emergency Services.
“We always want to err on the side of caution,” Sutton said. “That’s why we dispatched a couple field teams to monitor air quality and check for radiation.”
“We have nothing to indicate this had any impact at all on public health and safety.”
Smoke from the fire was visible across the Hudson River in Rockland County, and prompted concerned calls from many residents.
Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef complained it took Entergy 30 minutes to notify the county of the event.