Posted on 08/23/2011 12:42:13 PM PDT by matt04
A nuclear power plant located in Louisa County, the epicenter of the earthquake in Virginia, has shut down.
The North Anna Power Station, operated by Dominion Power, has two reactors. The plant declared an "unusual event" in the wake of the 5.9 magnitude quake, which is the lowest stage on the plant's emergency scale.
As a result, the plant has been shut down.
The AP reports the plant is being run off of four emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for critical safety equipment.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Roger Hannah says the agency was not immediately aware of any damage at nuclear power plants in the southeast.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcwashington.com ...
Over-reaction?
Time will tell.
sounds soooooo familiar....
Obama is looking for ‘just the right event’ — not this time I guess.
Those generators are going to cause global warming. We're doomed.
Almost certainly sensible rules for what to do in an emergency. When you first feel the shake you don't know how big the earthquake is so you drop the control rods and shut down the reactor. Then you see how bad it was and whether anything was damaged. If everything is OK then you restart the reactor.
I certainly hope the reactor was built to withstand a much stronger magnitude quake than a 5.9
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In our pussified, over-regulated, fearful, bureaucratic make-work society, need you ask?
Undoubtedly a gross, wholly unnecessary overreaction.
As a lifelong Californian, it sounds like it to me, though a 5.9 is a decent shaker -- enough to put the fear of God in you! It must have scared the willies out of folks who've never experienced a quake before.
But, I would venture to say, hardly enough to cause the shut-down of a power plant, even -- or especially -- a nuclear one. Around here, they're built to withstand quite a lot more than that.
Just my two cents.
Standard safety precaution, I would assume. I'm guessing the plant's seismic sensors aren't aware of the severity of the problem, they just are programmed to shut down the reactor if they sense anything.
Just like the smoke detectors in my house go off every time I try to microwave popcorn. An overreaction? Yes, but standard safety procedure for said smoke detector. ;-)
IT FUNCTIONED JUST LIKE IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO!
I pray that it does the trick for those SOBs in Washington and especially at Cape Cod, but I'd rather see a rain of fire and brimstone!
FUBO GTFO !
While it’s in shutdown mode, Obama will have an opportunity to keep it locked down and eventually closed.
Hi, we’re from the EPA and we’re here to screw you.
Well, except that, from the sounds of it, the plant shut-down was a human decision, not as a result of computer.
I liked Quisp better.
No just normal caution. Controlled shut downs at not a problem. Moat likely SOP.
“As a lifelong Californian, it sounds like it to me, though a 5.9 is a decent shaker — enough to put the fear of God in you! It must have scared the willies out of folks who’ve never experienced a quake before.”
Thinking the same thing here. Lifelong Californian also.
I thought when I read this that with the recent awareness of the constant (seemingly) barrage of news about the nuclear in Japan after that quake the powers to be might be a inclined to overreact if nothing else for PR.
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