The USGS is reporting that a minor earthquake struck Maine near the town of Lake Arrowhead shortly after 7:00 p.m. this evening. The nuclear power plant closest to the epicenter of the quake, Seabrook, which is in the midst of a refueling outage, declared an unusual event in response. The following is an official statement from NextEra Energy, the owner of the plant:
This evening, by procedure, Seabrook Station declared an unusual event due to the seismic activity felt throughout the region. An unusual event is the lowest of four Nuclear Regulatory Commission emergency classifications.Thanks to the team at NextEra Energy for getting out the word.
The plant has been and is currently shut down in a planned refueling outage. There has been no impact to the plant from the earthquake and our outage activities have not been affected in any way. We expect to exit from the unusual event shortly.
By way of background, Seabrook is designed to withstand the strongest earthquake ever experienced in New England, and then some.
Comments
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Can you link some articles saying what you claim they said? I'll check back.
So exactly what was the level of earthquake that Seabrook is supposed to be able to withstand without releasing materials off site..other than their ongoing NRC approved releases.
How much more is Seabrook designed to withstand than the earthquake history suggests?
Exactly what in a nuclear facility needs to meet seismic standards.
Who sets seismic standards, and on what data is this standard set?
What is expected to happen if a quake exceeds the design basis of a plant?
What specific parts are most vulnerable, and which would cause the greater damage to the plant, to environment and people on site and off site?
Await your reply, links to sources that can answer questions your article inspired, or elucidating comments from other readers..