Loss of offsite power at N. Anna caused automatic shutdown of reactors

Both reactors shut down but operating on backup diesel generators.

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

MSNBC reports: "Two nuclear reactors near the epicenter were taken offline as a precaution, officials said. No damage was reported at either."

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

NRC placed North Anna 7th in the top ten of most earthquake-prone reactors. But still Dominion wants to expand to a third reactor.

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

CNN has reported the first word from NRC (the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission). The North Anna nuclear power plant, with two reactors that had been operating at 100% power levels, is the only nuclear power plant in the Eastern U.S. reporting in, as it was very near the epicenter of the earthquake. The two reactors automatically "SCRAMMED" on loss of offsite power, and all emergency diesel generator emergency back up power systems are operating as designed, to continue to provide electricity to run cooling systems. No news about other nuclear power plants in the Eastern U.S., however.

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

Titus North of Citizen Power in Pennsylvania (who spoke alongside Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps as keynote speakers at an anti-Oyster Creek event in Toms River, New Jersey a few months ago) has reported: "The North Anna plant was built to withstand 5.9-6.1 earthquake. The epicenter was some 13 miles from the plant and was 5.9 in magnitude. NBC, quoting AP reports, says plant has been shut down and is being run off of emergency generators." Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Associates has shared that: "When North Anna was built, they discovered that an earthquake fault ran right under the plant.  The NRC let them build it anyway."

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

Dave Kraft of Nuclear Energy Information Service in Chicago has issued a media release re: the North Anna earthquake. The release states:

[..."It would appear that Mother Nature does not intend to wait the 18 months suggested by three NRC Commissioners to 'study' whether or not to implement plans their Fukushima study team says should be implemented now," notes Dave Kraft, director of the Chicago-based Nuclear Energy Information Service. 

He was referring to the results of the special NRC 90-day Fukushima study team, which made recommendations for actions based on lessons-learned to date from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan:  http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML1118/ML111861807.pdf

The Report released July 12th engendered controversy when three NRC Commissioners recommended delay in implementing some of the findings, pending more study, despite the over 120 years of cumulative experience in the issues they were asked to investigate.

A preliminary report from CNN indicates that NRC now states that "North Anna experienced an automatic "SCRAM" (emergency shutdown) due to loss of offsite power....All emergency diesel generator power systems kicked in as needed," according to the initial reports.  This is the same issue that has undergone intense scrutiny among nuclear advocates and critics alike in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan...]

NEIS has also issued an updated media release.

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

The USGS report on the North Anna earthquake reports that it was epicentered just 5 miles from Mineral, VA, the location of the twin reactor North Anna nuclear power plant.

Update on August 23, 2011 by admin

CNN has just interviewed a Dominion Nuclear spokesman who has said there is "no apparent damage" to the North Anna nuclear power plant, and that both units have shut down automatically and are operating on diesel backup power after losing offsite power.