An electrical fault and fire in a transformer yard forced the automatic shutdown Friday of the Indian Point 3 nuclear power plant, officials said. The fire, which was extinguished in 15 minutes, was outside the nuclear area of the plant and there was no release of radiation, said Diane Screnci of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. No injuries were reported, according to AP «The plant is stable and reacted normally,» she said. «There's no impact on public health and safety.» Nevertheless, Screnci said, an «unusual event» was declared at the plant, which is on the Hudson River in Buchanan, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of New York City. The declaration, the lowest of several safety alert classifications, required plant owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast to notify the NRC and state and local governments. It was called off after about an hour. In addition, because it was Indian Point 3's fourth unplanned shutdown since July, the plant's rating in that area went from «green,» the best, to «white,» Screnci said. This will mean tighter inspections for the plant. Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said a fire in the transformer is among the events that trigger an automatic shutdown of a nuclear plant. He said the cause of the fire was not known. It spread smoke around the area of the transformer yard, which is across a street from the plant in Buchanan, but was confined to the transformer, he said. The NRC said it was extinguished by the transformer's own «deluge system» as well as the plant's fire brigade. Onsite NRC inspectors made sure proper procedures were followed, the commission said. Indian Point 2, the other working nuclear plant on the site, remained up and running, Steets said. The shutdown was the second this week at Indian Point 3. A water pump malfunction closed the plant down from 4 a.m. Tuesday to 1 a.m. Wednesday. It had been closed for 24 days until Saturday for scheduled refueling and maintenance. -- SPA
