How The Nukes Fared During Sandy

Hurricane Sandy brought high winds and high waters to 34 nuclear reactors in the eastern U.S., causing three to shut down and one to issue an alert because of high water levels in its intake structure, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Of the 34 reactors, 24 continued to operate normally during the storm, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute. Seven had already been shut down for refueling or inspections, and three in New York and New Jersey were "tripped or shut down," according to the NRC. They were:
The safety systems operated as designed, according to NRC. The New Jersey reactor that issued an alert, Oyster Creek, had been shut downfor maintenance before the storm arrived, but it lost offsite power and saw water levels rise in its intake structure because of a combination of rising tide, wind direction and storm surge. The alert was canceled this morning when water levels returned to normal, according to its operator, Exelon.
It was the failure of backup power, from generators flooded in a tsunami, that caused the reactors at Fukushima to melt down last year.
The Nuclear Energy Institute praised the performance of the reactors as proof of their safety.
"Hurricane Sandy once again demonstrates the robust construction of nuclear energy facilities, which are built to withstand extreme flooding and hurricane-force winds that are beyond that historically reported for each area,” said Marvin S. Fertel, president and chief executive officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute. “Beyond the physical strength of these nuclear power plants, the professional crews that operate and maintain them take exacting precautions as significant storms approach"
But Sandy spurred Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey to call on Congress to speed passage of reactor safety legislation penned in the wake of Fukushima:
"An immediate first step is to fully implement the safety upgrades recommended by the Fukushima task force in a manner that ensures they are mandatory, in recognition of the fact that they are necessary to ensure the adequate protection of America’s nuclear power plants,” said Markey, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
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