Vermont Nuke Plant Still at 25% Power After Mishap

July 13, 2008

VERNON, Vt.—The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sending experts to begin an investigation Monday into circumstances surrounding a leak in one of the cooling towers at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and to verify that it is safe to continue operations.

NRC Executive Director for Operations Bill Borchardt is also traveling to the plant to consult with the inspectors and plant officials Monday and report back to Chairman Dale Klein and other members of the commission, according to a statement released Sunday.

Vermont Yankee nuclear plant remained at only 25 percent power Sunday in the wake of discovery of problems in cooling towers and continued low flow of the Connecticut River, which it draws water from.

On Friday, the plant's operators reported a leak in a pipe in one of its cooling towers, and said later that investigation revealed problems in the other tower -- broken or degraded pipe brackets on five so-called "saddles" that support the main pipe that brings river water to the top of the tower.

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Last August, a cooling tower cell collapsed in a shower of wood, water and debris.

Plant owner Entergy informed the NRC that Friday's leak "occurred when the supply header, which carries 90,000 gallons per minute of water, sagged after the underlying horizontal support beam broke away from the vertical column to which it was bolted," the NRC said in the statement.

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