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Environment
Friday, June 8, 2012
Davis-Besse fixing leak
Pinhole-size leak was spraying radioactive coolant
by WKSU's KABIR BHATIA |
Reporter
Kabir Bhatia | | |
| Operators of a nuclear plant near Toledo say they’re fixing a pinhole-size leak that was spraying radioactive coolant. WKSU’s Kabir Bhatia reports on the latest problems at FirstEnergy's Davis Besse nuclear power plant. |
Nuclear regulators and plant operators say the leak was in a line to a pump that pushes water through the reactor. The plant had been shut down for re-fueling when it was discovered Wednesday.
FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young says the water never got outside the building and posed no threat to the public.
“We were in the process of beginning to restart the plant when the issue was uncovered. I can tell you that it had not been an overly long time that it had been leaking, because we had just started pressurizing the plant within the previous 24 hours. It was definitely not leaking before the plant was pressurized, and it wasn’t leaking in the early stages of pressurization.”
Young estimates the water leaked at a rate of about six gallons per hour, but is unsure of the total. It was contained by the plant’s drainage system.
FirstEnergy would give no timetable for repairs, saying only that it involves welding and is not a complex fix.
Davis-Besse has had repeated problems over its 34 years of operation. Those include acid nearly eating a whole though the reactor head, and cracks appearing just a few years later in its replacement. FirstEnergy has applied for a 20-year license extension for the plant to begin in 2017. |
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