31 Mar (NucNet): The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has sent a special inspection team to the H.B. Robinson nuclear power plant in South Carolina to review the circumstances surrounding a fire in an electrical panel that led to an Alert being declared late on Sunday evening.
An Alert is the next-to-lowest NRC emergency classification for plant events.
The NRC said the plant experienced an automatic shutdown and a fire was reported in a non-safety-related electrical system. The plant was stabilised and plant employees formed an event response team.
About three and a half hours later, another fire was reported in a different non-safety-related electrical system. The second fire affected the operation of some safety-related systems and led to the Alert declaration at about 23:00.
The NRC said no one was injured and the plant remained safely shut down. The Alert was ended about two and a half hours after it was declared.
The inspection began yesterday and the NRC inspectors will issue a public report within 45 days of the inspection’s completion.
The single-unit Robinson plant, operated by Progress Energy, is a 710-megawatt pressurised water reactor. It began commercial operation in 1971.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Progress Energy Units Set New Generating Record (News in Brief No. 14, 2 February 2009)
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