NRC DISPATCHES INSPECTORS TO REVIEW COOK NUCLEAR PLANT SHUTDOWN
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a special inspection at the D. C. Cook Nuclear Power Station to review the circumstances surrounding the shutdown of both reactors at the site because of an influx of fish into the plant’s cooling water intake. The facility, operated by American Electric Power Co., is near Bridgman, Michigan.

Early on Thursday, April 24, plant operators shut down both reactors at the site after an influx of alewives reduced the flow of water into the plant’s cooling water intake in Lake Michigan. The build up of the small fish damaged a portion of the screens which protect the intake and restricted the flow.

Following the shutdown, adequate reactor cooling was maintained using the backup cooling system.

Fish debris was also drawn into the system which provides cooling for various plant safety equipment, including the emergency diesel generators which provide backup electrical power for plant systems if offsite power is lost.

Because of the deteriorating conditions, the plant staff declared an alert under its emergency plan at 3:48 a.m., and notified appropriate local, state, and federal agencies. The alert is the second lowest of four emergency classifications.

The two NRC resident inspectors responded to the plant to monitor the utility’s activities. The NRC staffed its regional incident response center in Lisle, Illinois, to provide regulatory oversight to the activities.

The utility is cleaning the fish buildup from the intake structure and from plant cooling system components. Any necessary repairs will be made before the reactors are restarted.

A report of the NRC special inspection will be publicly available about 30 days after the inspection is completed. It may be obtained from the NRC Region III Office of Public Affairs or on the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html

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Thursday, February 22, 2007