“Crews are continuing to work with on-site personnel to ensure the transformer remains cool and that there is no further extension”, King said.
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Oconee is one of the largest nuclear power plants in the USA with a capacity of some 2,600 megawatts and is the second to have its operating license extended for an additional twenty years.
Authorities say one unit of the Oconee Nuclear Station was shut down as a precaution after a transformer outside the plant caught fire. He said about 40 firefighters from the onsite brigade, in addition to members of fire departments in Oconee and Pickens counties, brought the fire under control in 30 minutes. Firefighters responded to the fire at 3:19 p.m. and said when they arrived on scene, the transformer outside the building was well involved in fire. The operator declared the incident “unusual” but emphasized there was no threat of radiation release. He spoke to the media at Duke Energy’s World of Energy, which is next to the Oconee Nuclear Station.
The intense flames and thick black smoke coming out of the transformer which was seen by many witnesses was reportedly due to the oil that was inside.
The Oconee Alert was terminated at 8:16 p.m.
The plant is owned by Duke Energy, which will report the fire as an “unusual event”, the lowest classification of emergency at a nuclear station, the station reported.
Batson said Unit 1 was out of operation and no timeline had been established for when it would be reactivated.
Inspectors determined in January that the station’s preventive maintenance and testing of the transformer cables “lacked the necessary rigor”, according to the letter sent to Batson.
“That item will remain open until we receive additional information from Duke Energy and determine what, if any, NRC regulatory requirements may have been violated, and whether or not additional inspections or enforcement actions will be required”, Hannah wrote in an email Monday.
A company official could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
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“At no time during the event was any release of radioactivity, no challenge to the public safety or safety of employees of the plant ” , Batson told reporters.
