Nuclear Power Plant Explosion At Indian Point: What Happened?
In Westchester, New York, there was an explosion on Saturday at the Entergy nuclear power plant at Indian Point. Smoke could be seen from a distance as it rose into the atmosphere. But what caused it?
As noted via its Twitter page, the “Indian Point Energy Center is owned & operated by Entergy Corporation, one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators.”
Entergy deals with a lot of energy sources,and sometimes, things overcharge and explode. This was possibly the case on May 9, 2015, at Indian Point. As reported NBC, one of the nuclear power plant’s transformers blew.
It came from the facility’s Unit 3. As noted in the same report, this power plant’s section at Indian Point powers approximately five percent of the state of New York. Yet, as far as New York City, it powers nearly 25 percent.
Happy Earth Day! Indian Point helps keep NYC’s air clean while safely, reliably supplying 25% of the region’s power. pic.twitter.com/KFBzRoiuHU
— Indian Point Energy (@Indian_Point) April 22, 2015
Just to note, since nuclear power plants generate massive amounts of energy, an explosion isn’t something to take lightly anywhere within the facility.
This is possibly why Entergy at Indian Point rushed to alleviate the situation and calm the public. As minor as it may have seemed, a series of unfortunate events could have caused other things to happen if it had not been handled. Under Murphy’s Law, “anything that can happen will happen.” And that’s not what’s needed at such a facility.
#Breaking: Nuclear power station at @Indian_Point nr NYC tweets “safe & stable condition…No danger” after explosion pic.twitter.com/aPbv11dU5Q
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) May 9, 2015
Throughout the day, the Indian Point nuclear plant has been keeping the public updated via its Twitter page. Some of the power plant’s tweets are as follows.
Indian Point Unit 3 safely shut down as designed following transformer failure.
— Indian Point Energy (@Indian_Point) May 9, 2015
Indian Point is in safe, stable condition following transformer failure. No danger to community or employees at any time. — Indian Point Energy (@Indian_Point) May 9, 2015
All Indian Point emergency systems worked as designed; No threat to public safety at any time.
— Indian Point Energy (@Indian_Point) May 9, 2015
Indian Point safely shut down following transformer failure outside of nuclear side of plant; No danger to public health and safety. — Indian Point Energy (@Indian_Point) May 9, 2015
As mentioned in the tweets, there were no injuries or fatalities in the power plant situation.
The Nuclear Safety Project director, Dave Lochbaum, said that they use oil to keep the transformers cooled. And given that perimeter at Indian Point, an electrical short may have caused the explosion. He also quotes as follows.
“Transformer explosions are not uncommon — they happen roughly three or four times a year across the industry.”
In this particular situation, the nuclear power plant categorized the event as a low-ranking “unusual.”
An Unusual Event is the lowest of 4 NRC emergency classifications. @Indian_Point is safe, secure & stable. All systems performed as designed
— EntergyNuclear (@EntergyNuclear) May 10, 2015
What are your thoughts about the Indian Point nuclear situation? What do you think cause the power plant’s transformer explosion? You agree with the director?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[Photo Credits: Robert Laberge/Getty Images Entertainment]
