Tim Knauss
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Scriba, N.Y. – Constellation Energy Corp. today said that a faulty circuit breaker connected to the generator at the Nine Mile Point Unit 2 nuclear plant caused a power surge and fire that shut down Unit 2 and a neighboring reactor last week.
“We have determined that a generator component failure was the root cause,’’ said Mark Rodgers, speaking for Constellation.
The damaged breaker has been replaced, along with its support structure and wiring. All three reactors at Nine Mile Point are operating at full power, Rodgers said.
The breaker overheated and caught fire at about 7:20 a.m. Sept. 23 in the turbine hall of Nine Mile 2, causing the plant to shut down automatically. The breaker malfunction caused an electrical disturbance that was detected nearby at the FitzPatrick plant, which also shut down automatically.
The third plant on site, Nine Mile Point Unit 1, did not shut down during the event. It has different settings than FitzPatrick to protect against voltage surges.
“Nine Mile Point Unit 1 has different settings on the generator system, which resulted in that unit remaining online, even though it saw the same localized grid disturbance,’’ said Neil Sheehan, speaking for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The breaker fire was extinguished “within an hour of starting,’’ Sheehan said. The nuclear plant’s onsite fire battalion put out the fire.
Plant operators also alerted the Scriba Volunteer Fire Department, but the fire was put out without their assistance, Rodgers said.
FitzPatrick returned to full power Sept. 25, two days after the fire. Nine Mile 2 returned to normal operation early Sunday, Rodgers said.
In response to the fire, Constellation is working to enhance its capabilities for early detection of electrical faults, Rogers said. The company is expected to file a detailed report on the event with the NRC within 60 days.
The fourth New York nuclear reactor owned by Constellation, the R.E. Ginna plant in Wayne County, has been offline since Monday for a scheduled refueling outage.
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Staff writer Tim Knauss can be reached at: email | Twitter | 315-470-3023.
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