Crack found in Crystal River nuclear plant

Workers have found a crack in a concrete containment wall at the Crystal River nuclear power plant, but the half-inch-wide gap doesn't pose a danger, officials said today.

The plant, which was shut down Sept. 26 for refueling, maintenance and replacing of two steam generators, now has engineers and independent consultants studying the gap in the 42-inch thick concrete wall, which is lined with a steel plate.

The power plant is operated by Progress Energy, which has a team analyzing the issue. The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sending a special inspection team next week to learn what caused the crack and the extent of the gap.

The agency's chairman Gregory Jaczko and regional administrator Luis Reyes will be on site Friday as part of a previously scheduled visit to the plant. While there, they will be briefed about the situation, said Joey Ledford, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The plant already was shut down when the crack was discovered, meaning the crack is not currently endangering the public and "there is no radiation that is being released as a result of this,'' Ledford said.

He said the agency will assess the implications of the crack. "We are concerned enough that we are sending a special inspection team. And they will determine when they issue their report if there is any safety implication involved in the gap."

Workers found the crack when they were were hydro-blasting the containment wall to create a 23-foot by 23-foot hole to remove the two steam generators and add two new ones, Ledford said.

As they cut into the containment wall on Oct. 2, they found the half-inch separation, Ledford said. He said the crack appears about nine inches beneath the wall's surface.

The wall is 150 feet tall and goes around the reactor, Ledford said.

Jessica Lambert, Progress Energy spokeswoman, said the shutdown of the nuclear power plant won't affect customers. The shutdown had long been scheduled and the company is using additional reserves at other power plants, she said.

The plan was to shut down the Crystal River nuclear power plant from October to December. Even with the gap, Progress Energy may have the plant running by December, she said.

The refueling and maintenance of the nuclear power plant is done every two years. Replacing the steam generators has never been done before at the Crystal River nuclear power plant, which opened in 1977. Steam generators have a life span of 30 years, Lambert said.

She said work on replacing the steam generators is continuing as the investigation proceeds.

Lambert said the Crystal River plant hasn't had any problems in the past. It was last inspected in 2005 and met all federal requirements.

She said the company, which has 1.6 million customers, will inspect the plant to make certain it meets requirements before returning it to service.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the plant won't return to service until the agency signs off on its safety.