Saturday, June 2, 2007

Sewage wasn't radioactive, Entergy says

Saturday, June 2, 2007 Poughkeepsie Journal
Sewage wasn't radioactive, Entergy says
BUCHANAN - The lab results that showed radioactive tritium in sewage from the Indian Point nuclear power plants last month were incorrect "false positives" and follow-ups have determined that there is no contamination, the plants' owner said Friday.
Entergy Nuclear also said it has found no tritium above normal levels at the sewage plant in Buchanan or anywhere else outside Indian Point property.
When the positive result was announced May 9, there were fears some of the tritium-contaminated groundwater beneath Indian Point had somehow found its way into the pipes that lead to the Buchanan sewer system.
Entergy said Friday its lab and an outside lab had reanalyzed the sewage sample that yielded the positive result and found no above-normal trace of tritium.
The level of tritium originally reported was tiny - 8,000 picocuries per liter, while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's standard for sewage is 10 million picocuries per liter. A picocurie is a measure of radiation.

No tritium from Indian Point in Buchanan sewage system

June 2, 2007
No tritium from Indian Point in Buchanan sewage system
Buchanan -- Entergy has notified local public officials and federal and local regulators and health agencies that possible indications of tritium in the sewer lines at Indian Point reported in early May have proven to be incorrect.
At the time, Entergy said sampling for tritium at extremely low levels, as is being done in the sampling program at Indian Point, could sometimes lead to “false positives,” but that Entergy would pursue verifying the validity of the sampling and investigate the possible sources, said company spokesman James Steets.
“We have since been able to determine that those were false positives that we reported and through additional sampling that we did and more detailed analysis, as well as various inspections and efforts taken onsite to identify possible sources of this tritium, we were able to determine in the last couple of days that there was no tritium in the sewage at all,” he said.
Entergy workers also inspected potential sources inside the plants that could have provided a pathway for the tritium. An examination of plant drawings and physical infrastructure inspections showed there is no pathway for the radioactive materials to get off site through the sewage system.
Tritium is a low energy-emitting radioactive isotope found naturally in the environment and a byproduct of the fission process in commercial nuclear reactors.
No tritium has been seen above background levels in any of the numerous samples taken outside of the Indian Point property, including the Buchanan sewage treatment plant and other nearby properties.

New test shows no tritium sewer leak from Indian Point

New test shows no tritium sewer leak from Indian Point
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 2, 2007)
BUCHANAN - New tests at Indian Point show that radioactive tritium is not leaking into the village sewer system and that earlier readings were incorrect, nuclear plant officials said yesterday.
The possible infiltration of radioactive material into village pipes raised concerns last month as the plant continues to work to contain tritium and strontium-90 leaks first discovered in 2005 and 2006.
Indian Point owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast has yet to receive any strontium-90 test results, but experts in and out of the company have said there is little likelihood of finding that isotope without finding spiked levels of tritium as well.
"The false positives (found earlier) were most likely the result of interference due to some organic materials and chemicals commonly found in sanitary sewers," said Donald Mayer, the Indian Point official in charge of the groundwater contamination investigation. "When analyzing at very low levels, occasional false positives can occur."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed yesterday that Indian Point had reported those results, but the agency has collected its own samples and is awaiting the results.
"We don't have any reason to doubt (Indian Point's) results," NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said. "But as always, we will verify their data."
State health and environmental officials said yesterday that they expect to conduct their own tests as well in the near future, though they gave no specific date yesterday.
Indian Point officials said that because of the intense public interest in the groundwater contamination problems since the leaks were discovered, they released the tritium information in early May, days after an on-site lab found the supposedly elevated tritium levels.
The company's labs at Indian Point are not sufficiently equipped to filter out environmental factors that might have contributed to artificially higher readings, Mayer said, and Indian Point's tritium levels were undetectable when analyzed by an outside firm's lab with more sophisticated methods.
Mayer said that the company collected more than a dozen sewage samples at different times and also tested Buchanan's treatment plant, and the presence of tritium was negligible.
Buchanan Mayor Dan O'Neill had said when the May results became public that he was eager to see more testing done, and yesterday he was glad that happened.
"I'm obviously relieved that there was no tritium and that the reading turned out to be a false positive," said O'Neill, who added that he had been called by Entergy with the news before the announcement. "No matter how insignificant the levels are, it's always better if there's no amount present."
O'Neill said the environmental and health effects from nuclear power plants are minimal compared with plants that burn fossil fuels to create electricity.
"But you still would rather never have any negative impacts, especially on the host community," he said.
Lisa Rainwater, who heads Riverkeeper's campaign to close the nuclear plants, noted that the spring had been particularly busy for Indian Point. Since April 1, there have been unplanned shutdowns of the nuclear reactors, a lowered safety rating and new sirens that still were not working by a second federally imposed deadline of April 15.
"It's one good piece of information to come out of Indian Point after weeks and weeks of bad," Rainwater said. "We hope they'll continue to routinely monitor the situation and test regularly in order to be sure the latest test is in fact accurate."
Mayer said Indian Point plans to monitor the sewage flow for tritium on a monthly basis from now on and also will check for other isotopes if workers see the tritium levels rise.
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.
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As always, Lisa Rainwater misses entirely, the thousands of megawatts coming out of IPEC as very "good news" every second of every day, along with the near-billion dollars of financial uplift to the region, which has also been steadily pouring out of Indian Point as Ms. Rainwater pickets, makes erronious statements, issues negative viewpoints, and thus makes her usual overdrawn "contribution" to our local life. Moreover, the community of upstanding citizens manning Indian Point has been coaching little league baseball, mentoring young people, serving in our armed forces, and contributing to local charities, even contributing to Ms. Rainwater's rudderless Riverkeeper charity, as Corporate Entergy funds green initiatives with millions, freely given.(How many initiatives does Riverkeeper fund around here?) But this is not "good news" to Ms. Rainwater, she prefers her closed, isolated Public Relations bubble universe, and her increasingly irrelevant minority rant, to any view of how things really are around the Hudson Valley. (Ms. Rainwater lives in Washington Heights, Manhattan).Posted by: la_88 on Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:17 pm
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About tritium
- Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12 years. It is naturally produced in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays strike air molecules and as a byproduct in nuclear reactors that produce electricity. Exposure to it and other radiation increases the risk of developing cancer.- Strontium 90 is a fission byproduct of uranium and plutonium, with a half-life of 29 years. Large amounts were produced in the 1950s and 1960s during atmospheric nuclear weapons tests.Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Business group endorses Indian Point license renewal

Business group endorses Indian Point license renewal
(Original publication: June 2, 2007) Journal News
The Westchester County Association's board of directors has strongly endorsed Entergy Corp.'s license renewal application to operate its two Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan.
About 30 to 40 members of the 60-member board were on hand May 17 for a presentation by Larry Gottlieb, director of communications for Entergy Nuclear Northeast. The board, which had invited Gottlieb to speak, voted unanimously afterward to endorse the renewal.
In a statement released afterward, board Chairman Stanley Freimuth said that the two power plants produce between 18 percent to 38 percent of the energy used in the region.
"This meeting not only underscored the importance of nuclear energy in sustaining the area's economic vitality, but it also demonstrated that Entergy has made substantial investments to address safety and security issues," Freimuth said in the statement.
Freimuth, board Co-Chairman Mark Rollins, and association President William M. Mooney Jr. could not be reached for comment. The power facility has had five unplanned shutdowns in 18 months and recently paid a $130,000 fine over problems related to its new emergency siren system.
On Monday, a broken water valve at Indian Point 2 led to operators taking it off the state power grid while repairs were made. The recent problem hasn't appeared to change the association board's thinking on the license renewal, said Amy Allen, the group's managing director, advocacy and international business.
"I can't speak for the whole board," Allen said, "but I haven't heard any clamor that we should rethink supporting it."
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing Entergy's application to extend the licenses for 20 years. The license for Indian Point 2 expires in 2013, and the license for Indian Point 3 expires in 2015.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Citizens speak out against nuclear plant

Citizens speak out against nuclear plant
Terrorism, government response cited as reasons to deny Oyster Creek relicensing
By DAVID BENSON Staff Writer, pressofatlanticcity.com
Published: Friday, June 1, 2007
(A protester wears a gag Thursday during the Nuclear Regulatory Commision meeting in Toms River. Due to the type of hearing it was certain the NRC members, the enviormental groups opposing the Oyster Creek license and representatives of AmerGen were not legally allowed to address the judges. Staff photo by Edward Lea)
TOMS RIVER — Fear of terrorists and distrust of the federal government were two forces driving people to speak against the relicensing of the Oyster Creek nuclear generating station during a special public hearing held Thursday afternoon in Ocean County.
By nightfall, at the second hearing, proponents of the plant were more in evidence, though still clearly outnumbered.
Three judges with the federal Atomic Safety Licensing Board listened for four hours at two public hearings while area citizens spoke in favor of, or against, a 20-year license extension for the nation's oldest operating nuclear power plant, located in Lacey Township. All but a few had harsh words for the nuclear facility.
The meeting, designed to get input on issues surrounding the corrosion of the Oyster Creek plant's drywell liner, often strayed to worries about planes hitting the facility's spent fuel pool, or how difficult it would be to evacuate the area in the event of a nuclear emergency.
Roy Hawkens, one of the three judges for the ASLB, cautioned the public early in the meeting to try to stick to the subject of the drywell liner. But it wasn't enforced, and current events and how they related to the nuclear plant frightened some residents more than the corrosion.
Liz Arndne described herself as an ordinary, concerned citizen representing many like herself. “We have seen what happened at Chernoybl,” Arndne said. “We have seen what happened at Katrina. And we are frightened that our government is not responsive.”
Arndne raised the issue of government disarray in the face of catastrophe, a chord others struck repeatedly during the meeting.
But Ed Stroup trusts the Nuclear Regulatory Commisson and AmerGen. As one of less than a half-dozen people to speak in favor of a renewal of the station's license, he was accused of being a shill for AmerGen.
The reasoning was twofold. Stroup worked for AmerGen for 22 years, 20 of them at the plant as a mechanic. Also, his support of the plant included facts and figures concerning the thickness of the drywell shell.
Some said only a person coached by the company could have that information.
Later, Stroup shrugged and smiled. “It's all public information,” he said. “Anyone who looks into the licensing process can get the information.”
Janet Tauro, of Grandmothers, Mothers and Others for Safe Energy, got some public information and wanted to get it out during the meeting. But she wasn't allowed to speak.
It's an arcane rule, but due to the type of hearing it was, certain members of the NRC, the environmental groups opposing the license and representatives of AmerGen were not legally allowed to address the judges.
Tauro took it in good form. “Everything has rules,” she said. “You have to follow the rules.”
And that's what Tauro wants the NRC to do in relation to the Oyster Creek plant. She says that because her group is one of the six environmental groups joined in a lawsuit against AmerGen, they have received documents from the company that aren't normally available.
“Discovery,” she said. “Because we're part of the coalition in the suit, we have discovery.”
Recently, Tauro said the group received a document that suggests a 9-square-foot area of the contested drywell shell is thinner than the measurement required by the NRC.
“There can be no area within the drywell that falls below .736 inches,” Tauro said. “The latest documents show that a 9-foot square area in Bay One are at .696 inches.” It's the difference of a gnat, Tauro said. Maybe less than a gnat. “But it's a license violation,” she said.
The recent fire that forced the evacuation of thousands of Ocean County residents reminded some how unorganized the federal government can be. The shortfalls of the government during Hurricane Katrina were brought up by several people wondering how this county would be evacuated in the event of a nuclear accident.
Others pointed to the spent fuel pool, jammed with more than 200 tons of radioactive rods. A terrorist attack, said Carol Burns, a grandmother with grandchildren in the area, would leave Ocean County stranded with people desperate to leave.
“I was near the Pentagon during 9-11,” Burns said. “I know that there was gridlock. You could not get out.” The memory stopped Burns for a moment. She took a few breaths as if to regain composure. “It wasn't nuclear. Imagine if it was and you were on Route 9.”
Lacey Township favors relicensing the plant under the regulations of the NRC. David Most, deputy mayor for the township, said the plant has been a good neighbor, providing clean, safe energy.
The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders disagrees with the township. David McKeon, board planning director, said freeholders are concerned about the on-site storage of spent fuel, as well as terrorism and evacuation of the area in the event of an accident or attack.
The freeholders, McKeon said, are particularly concerned with the source of the leak that caused the corrosion of the drywell liner. “The NRC is satisified with the sealant that has been applied to the liner,” McKeon said. “But the county wants the NRC to find out the source of the leak.”
The United Way of Ocean County supports the relicensing of the Oyster Creek plant. Nancy Eriksen, a spokeswoman for the county branch of the United Way, is also a manager at the nuclear facility. Eriksen said AmerGen has donated $1.5 million to the United Way over the past eight years.
A few people, such as Most, described the nuclear facility as a good neighbor. Eriksen put a face on the neighbor. “The yearly Angel Tree,” she said, “where people help a family or buy a present for a needy child. Last year, Oyster Creek helped 300 on the tree.”
The two hearings will not decide whether the nuclear plant will be relicensed, Hawkens said. And while the public comments are part of official Nuclear Regulatory Commission transcripts, they will not be part of an upcoming hearing.
In September, a hearing will be held to decide whether AmerGen's schedule of measuring the thickness of a corroded drywell shell is adequate to protect public health and safety.
These public hearings gave attorneys for all of the groups involved a chance to gather information they may not have had previously. Richard Webster, an attorney for the Rutgers Law Clinic, said the meeting was basically a chance for people to sound off to the NRC and the ASLB.
There is a possibility, he said, that someone would say something that he could use in the September hearing. Webster represents a coalition of six environmental groups that oppose the relicensing of the plant.

No tritium from Indian Point in Buchanan sewage system

FridayJune 1, 2007

No tritium from Indian Point in Buchanan sewage system
Buchanan -- Entergy has notified local public officials and federal and local regulators and health agencies that possible indications of tritium in the sewer lines at Indian Point reported in early May have proven to be incorrect.
At the time, Entergy said sampling for tritium at extremely low levels, as is being done in the sampling program at Indian Point, could sometimes lead to “false positives,” but that Entergy would pursue verifying the validity of the sampling and investigate the possible sources.
Entergy re-analyzed samples taken in early May that produced the false positives and determined they were negative for tritium. Samples also were sent to an outside laboratory which confirmed the re-analyzed negative results seen in the Indian Point lab.
Entergy workers also inspected potential sources inside the plants that could have provided a pathway for the tritium. An examination of plant drawings and physical infrastructure inspections showed there is no pathway for the radioactive materials to get off site through the sewage system.“The false positives were most likely the result of interference due to some organic materials and chemicals commonly found in sanitary sewers,” said Don Mayer, special projects director. “When analyzing at very low levels occasional false positives can occur. In addition, the outside laboratory advises us that they have seen low-energy interferences that initially suggest positive tritium results and can take steps to account for it.”
In the later samples, the apparent tritium indication had disappeared in just a few days. An actual or real tritium result would continue well beyond a few days since tritium has a 12.3 years half-life.
Tritium is a low energy-emitting radioactive isotope found naturally in the environment and a byproduct of the fission process in commercial nuclear reactors.
No tritium has been seen above background levels in any of the numerous samples taken outside of the Indian Point property, including the Buchanan sewage treatment plant and other nearby properties.

New tests: No tritium detected in Buchanan sewers

New tests: No tritium detected in Buchanan sewers
By THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 1, 2007)
BUCHANAN - The latest tests of Indian Point's sewage show that the radioactive isotope tritium is not traveling in detectible amounts to the village's sewer system, nuclear plant officials announced today.
In addition, earlier tests showing 8,000 pico curies of radiation per liter of liquid flowing to the village's waste treatment plant have been found to be much lower after more in-depth laboratory analysis, company officials said.
"The false positives (found earlier) were most likely the result of interference due to some organic materials and chemicals commonly found in sanitary sewers," said Donald Mayer, Indian Point official in charge of the groundwater contamination investigation. "When analyzing at very low levels, occasional false positives can occur."
Indian Point officials cautioned early last month that the 8,000 number was preliminary, but said yesterday they released it without further analysis to keep local officials informed.
Tritium and strontium 90 were discovered to be leaking at the Indian Point site in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and company officials have been working on finding the source and reach of those leaks since they were discovered.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials said they were aware of the latest results and would continue to monitor the company's testing program and efforts to control the leaks.
"We don't have any reason to doubt the results," said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan. "But as always, we will verify their data."
Sheehan didn't know immediately when the NRC's test results of sewage samples would be available.

Indian Point activates single sirens over two-week period

June 1, 2007

Indian Point activates single sirens over two-week period
Buchanan – Entergy Nuclear Northeast plans to activate individual sirens in its Indian Point emergency alert system in Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Rockland counties from Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 8 and again on Monday, June 11 through Friday, June 15.
Entergy selected 20 sirens in the new system for the tests. Each siren may sound more than once at full volume for about four minutes. The tests may sound at 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Entergy, working with the four counties, installed 150 new sirens in the 10 mile emergency planning zone around Indian Point, including 69 in Westchester, 45 in Rockland, 22 in Orange and 14 in Putnam.
Entergy was fined $130,000 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for failing to meet a second deadline to have the sirens operational and the company is working to have the kinks worked out and have them turned on by August.
The current siren system remains in service until the new one is turned on.

Entergy returns Indian Point 2 to service

FridayJune 1, 2007


Entergy returns Indian Point 2 to service
Buchanan — The Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant, which was shut down during a valve repair earlier this week, has been placed back online.
“Our control room operators and staff performed very well in shutting down the plant, making the repairs, and returning the unit to service,” said Site Vice President Fred Dacimo. “It was the correct decision to shut down the plant. Their training and commitment to safety is what Entergy is about.”
Plant staff repaired a valve that controls the flow of non-radioactive water to one of the plant’s four steam generators, before returning the unit to service at about 3 o’clock Thursday morning. Control operators had safely shut down the plant on Monday, according to plan, following an assessment of the valve that was not performing properly. The valve could not be repaired while the plant is operating.
The plant had safely operated continuously for 90 days before Monday’s shutdown.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local public officials have been notified.
Each plant produces approximately 1,000 megawatts of electricity, the amount used by about 2 million homes.

Indian Point 2 goes back online after three-day interruption

Indian Point 2 goes back online after three-day interruption
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: June 1, 2007)
BUCHANAN - Indian Point 2 returned to full power yesterday after being off the state's electricity grid for three days because of a malfunctioning water valve in one of the nuclear plant's four steam generators.
Workers began taking the 1,000-megawatt electricity producer up from its 2 percent idling state at 3 a.m. and it was running at full capacity by about 11 a.m., plant officials said.
Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns and operates Indian Point, had taken the plant off the state grid about 3 p.m. Monday after workers discovered the water feed problem early that morning.
"We believe they had responded appropriately," said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Diane Screnci.
So did Fred Dacimo, Entergy's top executive for the Buchanan site.
"Our control room operators and staff performed very well in shutting down the plant, making the repairs, and returning the unit to service," Dacimo said in a prepared statement yesterday. "It was the correct decision to shut down the plant. Their training and commitment to safety is what Entergy is about."
Indian Point 3 was unaffected by the shutdown and continued to send 1,000 megawatts of electricity to the grid. Every 1,000 megawatts provides enough electricity to power about 1 million homes.
Company officials said the malfunctioning part had to be disassembled to complete the repair.
The plant had safely operated continuously for 90 days before Monday's shutdown, but because the plant didn't have to be entirely shut down, the stoppage won't affect Indian Point 2's safety rating.
The unit has been shut down five times in the past year and a half for different problems and another shutdown would have lowered its rating from green - the safest classification - to white, the second of four categories.
The ratings are tied to hours of critical operation, but NRC officials said the Memorial Day stoppage fell under the category of a power change rather than an actual shutdown and the company has had fewer of those per 7,000 hours of operation.
The NRC said it will review all the procedures, but initially found the company didn't make its decisions based on the category of the outage.
Entergy officials said they wanted the reactor in effect idling because it would be easier to bring back online.
In other Indian Point developments, the NRC has scheduled the first public meeting on the company's application to extend its operating licenses for Indian Point 2 and 3 for 20 years each.
Screnci said the date is tentatively June 27 and the evening meeting will likely be at Colonial Terrace, a catering hall in Cortlandt.
Screnci said the agency opted to hold two meetings on separate dates - the first informational, the second to solicit local comment.
"Riverkeeper and some members of Congress asked for the meetings to be separated and we agreed," Screnci said. "Recently, we have joined the information session and scoping session into one."
She estimated the second public meeting would be held during the summer, convened during the afternoon and again during the evening, to allow for more local participation.
"It really is important that we get the comments from the public on the scope of the environmental impact (of relicensing the plants)," Screnci said.
Riverkeeper officials said the agency made the right move to split the meetings.
"Riverkeeper commends the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for realizing that limiting public participation in the relicensing process goes against the grain of our democratic society," said Lisa Rainwater, Indian Point campaign director for the environmental group. "Providing the public with two separate and equally important meetings on Entergy's bid to relicense Indian Point for 20 more years will keep the process open and more accessible to the public."
Entergy picked up an endorsement this week in its efforts to extend its operating permit for the site through 2035, when the Westchester County Association, a business group, announced its support of the application.
WCA President William M. Mooney Jr. said nuclear energy was important to sustaining the area's economic vitality.
"Entergy has made substantial investments to address safety and security issues," he said, adding that the company provides a substantial proportion of the energy for the region and deserves the support of the business community.Indian Point license hearing scheduled
Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Entergy returns Indian Point 2 to service

ThursdayMay 31, 2007


Entergy returns Indian Point 2 to service
Buchanan — As temperatures rise today to about 90 degrees as predicted for New York City and Westchester so will the electrical output of the unit-2 nuclear power plant at Entergy’s Indian Point Energy Center.
The plant should reach full power this afternoon, joining its sister unit-3 plant which is presently operating at full power, unaffected by unit-2’s shutdown.
“Our control room operators and staff performed very well in shutting down the plant, making the repairs, and returning the unit to service,” said Site Vice President Fred Dacimo. “It was the correct decision to shut down the plant. Their training and commitment to safety is what Entergy is about.”
Plant staff repaired a valve that controls the flow of non-radioactive water to one of the plant’s four steam generators, before returning the unit to service at about 3 o’clock this morning. Control operators had safely shut down the plant on Monday, according to plan, following an assessment of the valve that was not performing properly. The valve could not be repaired while the plant is operating.
The plant had safely operated continuously for 90 days before Monday’s shutdown.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local public officials have been notified.
Each plant produces approximately 1,000 megawatts of electricity, the amount used by about 2 million homes.

After Repairs, Indian Point 2 Goes Back on the Grid

Posted: Thursday, 31 May 2007 12:54PM
After Repairs, Indian Point 2 Goes Back on the Grid
BUCHANAN, N.Y. -- 1010 WINS - The Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant was providing electricity again Thursday, three days after going off the grid to repair a faulty valve.
The plant went back into service at about 3 a.m. and was at full power by late morning, said Jim Steets, spokesman for plant owner Entergy Nuclear.
The valve, which helps control the flow of water to the plant's steam generators, posed no safety risk, but the reactor had to be powered down for the repair, Entergy said. Indian Point 3, the other nuclear plant on the site in Buchanan, was not affected.
The Indian Point plants have had a string of troubles in recent years, and Rep. John Hall, the Democrat whose district includes Buchanan, said after the latest shutdown that "Indian Point can't seem to go 20 days without some sort of operational incident."
He repeated his call for an Independent Safety Assessment of the plants, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is resisting.

Indian Point 2 back online after shutdown

Indian Point 2 back online after shutdown
By GREG CLARYTHE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: May 31, 2007)
BUCHANAN -Indian Point 2 returned to full power about 11 a.m. today after workers repaired a broken water valve on one of the plant's steam generators and connected the reactor back to the state electricity grid.
Officials from Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns and operates Indian Point, said the plant went back online about 3 a.m. and was brought gradually back up to full power.
Control operators had safely shut down the plant on Monday after the valve compromised the generator's capacity to keep up with the reactor at full power. Entergy officials said the valve could not be fixed unless the reactor was taken down to 2 percent power.
Plant staff repaired the dog-house-sized valved, which controls the flow of non-radioactive water to one of the plant's four steam generators.
Fred Dacimo, Indian Point's top on-site official, commended plant workers for their efforts during the event.
"Our control room operators and staff performed very well in shutting down the plant, making the repairs, and returning the unit to service," Dacimo said in a prepared statement today. "It was the correct decision to shut down the plant. Their training and commitment to safety is what Entergy is about."
Indian Point 3 was unaffected by the shutdown of Indian Point 2.
Reach Greg Clary at 914-696-8566 or gclary@lohud.com.