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Unexpected Reactor Shutdown At Seabrook Nuclear Plant

Seabrook Nuclear Plant
Jim Richmond via Flickr Creative Commons
Seabrook Nuclear Plant

 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says an unexpected reactor shutdown happened at New Hampshire's Seabrook nuclear power plant as the plant was shutting down for planned refueling and maintenance.

Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the commission, said the plant's turbine/generator had been taken offline in preparation for testing early Tuesday.

The reactor shutdown happened shortly before 12:30 a.m. when an electrical problem impacted the plant's reactor coolant pumps, knocking them out of service. Sheehan said backup systems activated, as designed, to safely cool down and shut down the reactor.

Sheehan said the NRC's senior resident inspector was in the control room observing the plant shutdown at the time, and did not identify any concerns with operator or equipment response with the reactor shutdown.

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