Fermi 2 struggles with large COVID-19 outbreak among workers

NRC file photo of Fermi 2 on the Lake Erie shore in Monroe County, MIA scoop by reporter Dave Battagello, published in the Windsor Star in Ontario, Canada.

As the article reports:

Fermi 2 sits across Lake Erie about 10 km [6.2 miles] away from Amherstburg which would be impacted should any incident occur, along with areas of LaSalle and Windsor.

All three named communities are in Ontario, Canada, across the international border from the Monroe County, Michigan, USA reactor. (See photo, left.)

The large numbers of coronavirus test positives at Fermi nuclear power plant (the article reports more than 200 cases, but May 13 Facebook postings by Fermi employees have put the number as already grown worse, now at more than 300) is likely among the worst known (yet unreported, in the Michigan or U.S. national news media) at any single institution or workplace in Michigan. It also is perhaps the most known (yet unreported, in the Michigan or U.S. national news media) number of cases at any U.S. nuclear facility, whether nuclear power plant or weapons complex site (although the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia is also reporting more than 200 cases).

Fermi 2's owner/operator, DTE (formerly Detroit Edison) will not confirm the figures (in contrast to Southern Nuclear/Georgia Power's willingness to do so at Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, GA). Neither will the Monroe County Health Department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nor any other U.S. federal agency. But it's an open secret, revealed by unofficial, back channel sources.

Although there has been some very important local reporting on the U.S. side (Tom Henry at the Toledo Blade had a very important scoop on May 4th: he was the first to report the unprecedented DTE-declared 'extended safety stand down' due to coronavirus infections in its workforce), many days or even weeks ago, regarding a handful of reported coronavirus positive cases at Fermi, none -- other than Dave Battagello at the Windsor Star in Ontario -- have yet reported the very large numbers now alleged at Fermi.

Also being reported by Fermi employees on Facebook, is that hundreds more Fermi workers are self-isolating after exposure to other fellow workers now confirmed as infected.

Also alleged on Facebook is a report of one worker death at Fermi, due to Covid-19. The allegation is yet to be officially confirmed, or reported by any news media outlet.

Another question that has not been addressed by local or national U.S. media outlets is how DTE obtained enough coronavirus testing to conduct tests on its entire 2,000-person workforce (including a large number of temporary, itinerant workers on-site since at least March 21, 2020, for the now-suspended refueling outage; DTE has announced an 'extended safety stand down,' prolonging the refueling outage).

Fermi 2 is located just 25 miles south of Detroit in Wayne County, which has been the epicenter of Michigan's coronavirus pandemic crisis. A shockingly disproportionate number of Detroit/Wayne County's majority African American population have died due to Covid-19, earning Michigan the dubious distinction of having the fourth highest number of Covid-19 deaths of any state, after only New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. For weeks and even months, the lack of adequate coronavirus testing, for not only patients and concerned residents, but also those on the frontline, like doctors, nurses, and nursing home workers, has greatly complicated and increased the risk of emergency response. This has endangered responders' lives, and the health of their own families.

How did DTE obtain so many tests, at a power plant that is currently not even generating electricity? The lights are still on, despite Fermi 2's current idled state, showing there is a regional glut in electricity supply. Fermi 2's electricity is clearly not even needed right now. While Fermi workers deserve coronavirus testing, as does every American and human, there is a question of priority. Shouldn't tests be prioritized for places of highest need, such as amongst nursing home residents and employees, for doctors and nurses at overwhelmed hospitals, for other vulnerable populations, etc.?

Update on May 14, 2020 by admin

S&P Global Platts has also reported on this story:

"Fermi-2 reactor in Michigan sees over 200 workers test positive for novel coronavirus during outage"