TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

NRC: No safety issues when Crystal River nuclear plant shut down

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com

Published: August 26, 2009

The operators of Progress Energy's nuclear power plant in Crystal River Tuesday night began the process of getting the plant back to full power after shutting the reactor down Monday when some control rods dropped into the core, a utility spokeswoman said.

There were no safety problems, radiation release or damage to the plant from the shutdown, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Roger Hannah.

Operators were testing equipment when some of the rods dropped into the reactor core about 11 a.m. Monday. That would have started an automatic shutdown of the reactor but operators manually turned off the reactor instead, Hannah said.

"It worked the way it was designed," he said.

Workers traced the problem to a mechanical malfunction that has been repaired, said Jessica Lambert, spokeswoman for Progress Energy.

All the control rods were tested and function as they should, she said.

The control rods govern the nuclear reaction and can be used to shut off the plant if there is a problem.
Though the event caused no damage or danger, the utility is required to notify the NRC.

The plant is in Citrus County about 80 miles northwest of Tampa and generates 860 megawatts of electricity. It was operating at capacity when it was shut down.

Lambert said the company does not comment on when the plant is expected to reach full power because of competitive reasons.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT