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Three Mile Island Shuts Down After Pump Failure

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-bit-of-a-problem dept.

SchrodingerZ writes "The nuclear power station on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania shut down abruptly this afternoon. Its shutdown was caused when one of four coolant pumps for a reactor failed to work. 'The Unit 1 reactor shut off automatically about 2:20 p.m., the plant's owner, Exelon Corporation, reported. There is no danger to the public, but the release of steam in the process created "a loud noise heard by nearby residents," the company said.' If radiation was released into the environment, it is so low that it thus far has not been detected. The plant is a 825-megawatt pressurized water reactor, supplying power to around 800,000 homes, thought there has been no loss of electrical service. Three Mile Island was the site of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1979. The Unit 2 reactor has not been reactivated since."

3 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. And, cue shitstorm.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But, to be fair, isn't this how these things are suppose to work? Something fails, everything gracefully shuts down?

    1. Re:And, cue shitstorm.. by fredgiblet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes.

      Not that that's going to stop the shitstorm

  2. Add it all up by medcalf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Embassy attacks. Crap economy. Foreign policy humiliation. Three Mile Island. Am I the only one who didn't like 1979 the first time, and don't want a replay?

    --
    -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits