The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is being tight-lipped about an “unusual event” which occurred at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant last Saturday which forced a “hot shutdown” of both the plant’s Generation IV-type reactors 1 and 2.
The NRC classified the emergency as an “unusual event” but provided little to no details on the situation.
Additionally, the NRC reports that weather conditions from Tropical Storm Florence are currently preventing workers from accessing the plant.
“A hazardous event has resulted in on site conditions sufficient to prohibit the plant staff from accessing the site via personal vehicles due to flooding of local roads by Tropical Storm Florence.”
From the NRC regarding Event 53609:
The current rector mode is showing as “hot shutdown” and more rain is on the way.
River waters in the area are expected to rise as much as 20 feet in the coming days. Not to mention, local dams in the area may be to capacity.
We will provide updates as we get them.
Update: The NRC “unusual event” warning appears to be unrelated to the planned shutdown of the plant which occurred last Thursday, two days prior to the alert, as reported by Weather.com in the Sept 13 report titled North Carolina Nuclear Power Plant Shuts Down Ahead of Florence; It’s One of 9 in the Path of the Storm.