More detailed report on what happened expected in August
BUCHANAN – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that
the water found on the floor of the switchgear room at the Indian Point
Unit 3 nuclear power plant did not adversely affect the safe shutdown
of the facility.
A report by NRC on-site investigators following the failure of a main electrical transformer there on May 9 found that the less than half inch of water was appropriately handled by plant operators. Their actions prevented the water from impacting the equipment’s operation, said NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan.
“There weren’t any safety significant issues associated with that,” Sheehan said. The water in the room was found to have come from three transformer water deluge system solenoid values in a room adjacent to the switchgear room that had remained open during the event. Clogged drains caused the water to accumulate and produce minor flooding in the switchgear room. The report contains one very low safety significant non-cited violation, dealing with Entergy’s failure to promptly identify, report and correct a “condition adverse to fire protection.”
One of the solenoid values was documents to have opened and not closed as designed during earlier tests of the fire deluge system. Investigators said that happened again during the May 9 transformer failure but could have been prevented via earlier reports.
As for the transformer failure itself, the NRC inspectors assigned to
Indian Point on a daily basis have reviewed the event and their findings
will be documented in a report expected to be released next month.
