Transformer Explosion Closes Nuclear Plant Unit North of NYC

Reuters reports that a transformer failure and related fire have forced the closure of a generating unit of the Indian Point nuclear plant, about 40 miles north of New York City; another generator at the same facility was unaffected. Witnesses reported seeing an explosion, as well as (according to NBC News) a "huge ball of black smoke" when the transformer exploded, which led to the shut-down of the site's Unit 3. The Reuters article says the plant "has long been controversial because of its proximity to the United States' largest city. Indian Point is one of 99 nuclear power plants licensed to operate in the United States and which generate about 20 percent of U.S. electricity use, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission website.

Comments

Re:Nuclear Generating Station Shuts Down Safely

[AmiMoJo]

The number of Japanese who oppose nuclear power is now in excess of 80%. They have seen the long term effects and costs of Fukushima, and the many scandals that have emerged as other plants are properly checked with state of the art equipment for the first time. Even the government only hopes to get back to 20% by 2030, and most people consider that to be optimistic.

What's more, they see every day that Japan can and does survive and thrive without nuclear power. In the short term that does mean more fossil fuel burning, but considering that even in 15 years time the most optimistic projections are expecting 1/3rd of all reactors to still be offline it's not like nuclear is a quick fix for that. People would rather see new technologies, like renewables and energy saving. There is very little faith in those who operate nuclear plants now.

You should be ashamed for trying to claim that obsessing about the nuclear issue distracted from the tsunami deaths. They are two separate things, and the nuclear disaster did nothing to lessen the sympathy felt for the tsunami victims. It did however pull money that could have been spent on them and rebuilding the survivor's homes away to deal with the on-going crisis there.

It is widely accepted that Japan could construct nuclear weapons in a matter of a few months at most, and maintains that capability for defence. It allows Japan to remain a non-nuclear state while still giving it the option to acquire nuclear weapons quickly if the situation escalates. Wikipedia has some information for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J...

As you can see, the energy infrastructure (plants, reprocessing, handling equipment, storage facilities etc.) have a dual purpose. If Japan abandoned nuclear power it would no longer be able to maintain the necessary infrastructure without explicitly stating that building nuclear weapons are the goal. It might not sound like much to you, but it's an extremely important distinction in that part of the world.