Entergy's Waterford 3 nuclear generating plant in Killona underwent an emergency shutdown last week following fires in two transformers located within the plant's main transformer yard, as reported by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The occurrence prompted an emergency SCRAM (shutdown) of the reactor by rapidly inserting its control rods. Consequently, the plant's emergency director declared an "unusual event," the lowest level of emergency events at a nuclear reactor, at 12:09 a.m. Friday.

Although the unusual event status was terminated at 2:21 a.m. Friday following the fire's extinguishment, the generator remains offline, with no restart initiated.

Notably, the fire, initially responded to by a local fire department, was ultimately extinguished by the power plant's own fire brigade. While both Entergy and the NRC notified federal and state emergency authorities, neither agency communicated the incident to area residents.

According to NRC spokesperson Victor Dricks, despite the contained fire posing no threat of radiation release and no danger to public health and safety, Entergy's response to the event will be closely monitored and reviewed. Mike Bowling, Entergy Nuclear's communications manager, stated that the plant will remain offline for several weeks until repair schedules are finalized and completed, refraining from disclosing specifics regarding the return to operational status.

Source: nola.com