Explosion-Fire at Nuclear Power Station Near New York City on Election Day Due to Equipment Failure

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2016, 5th Ave., above ground power lines, acute radiation syndrome, Atlantic Ocean, auxiliary transformers, cable explosion, cancer, Cato Institute, Chernobyl, clean water, dangers of nuclear, Election Day, election day explosion, Entergy, Entergy Nuclear, environment, Explosion Fire Indian Point, explosion in protected area, FEMA, government subsidies, homeland security, Hudson, Indian Point, John G. Trump, loan guarantees, Long Island, Manhattan, New York City, November 8, NRC, nuclear, nuclear accident, nuclear disaster, nuclear energy, nuclear fallout, nuclear industry, nuclear power, nuclear power plant, nuclear power station protected area, nuclear reactors, nuclear safety, nuclear weapons, power lines, President elect Trump, Price Anderson Act, risk management, terrorism, Trump Tower, US election, US NRC, USA, water

The US NRC report says that this “explosion in the protected area” which was “due to equipment failure” occurred at 0840 AM on Tuesday November 8th: “The explosion was to the 138 kV power cross connect cable between the Unit 2 and 3 Station Auxiliary Transformers.” If you look at the above image, all of the power lines appear very cramped at this nuclear power station, apparently increasing the dangers.

Overlay the size of the Chernobyl exclusion zone with rough location of Indian Point Nuclear Power Station and Trump Tower

Greenpeace OpenStreet Map. Wind direction may vary. This is to give an indication of the size. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/nuclear/nomorechernobyls/exclusion-zone-comparison-map/

“A 1982 study by Sandia National Laboratories found that a core meltdown and radiological release at one of the two operating Indian Point reactors could cause 50,000 near-term deaths from acute radiation syndrome” (Edward Lyman, Ph.D., 2004, “Chernobyl on the Hudson?” http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/nuclear_power/indianpointhealthstudy.pdf

President Elect Trump had better take a serious look at shutting down this nuclear power station before it destroys his hometown, shuts down the Port of NY, Wall Street, and the US economy with it, and ruins his real estate empire and presidency. Other nuclear power stations may threaten his real estate elsewhere, along with the US public and the environment.

A good place for President Elect Trump to start would be with getting rid of Price Anderson, thus making nuclear utilities, and equipment providers, bear full liability and carry full insurance for nuclear accidents. That would make them all shut-down in a New York second! The US NRC can be shut down and replaced with public inspectors.

Trump’s Uncle John G. Trump warned of the dangers of nuclear. The dangers are not limited to nuclear war.

And, as the conservative think-tank Cato Institute long pointed out: “without government production subsidies, without loan guarantees, and without liability protection via the Price-Anderson Act, even the nuclear power industry concedes that they would disappear.” https://www.cato.org/blog/atomic-dreams

The US NRC report says that this “explosion in the protected area” which was “due to equipment failure” occurred at 0840 AM. An “unusual event” was declared at 0851 am despite the fire supposedly having been extinguished at 848 AM. The “unusual event” was not terminated until 946 am, “based on the fire being out“. So, did it last 8 minutes or one hour and six minutes? Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and others were notified.

The only media covering these election day fireworks seemingly tries to downplay it, calling it “a small fire that automatically extinguished“: https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/atomicage/2016/11/09/indian-point-electrical-fault-is-being-investigated-at-one-nuke-plant-via-lohud/

From the US NRC “Event” Report:
“UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO EQUIPMENT FAILURE CAUSING AN EXPLOSION IN THE PROTECTED AREA

“On November 8, 2016, at approximately 0840 EST, plant personnel reported an explosion within the Protected Area resulting in a fire with potential damage to plant structures or equipment. An Unusual Event was declared at 0851 EST. The onsite Fire Brigade was mobilized. The fire was extinguished at 0848 EST. The explosion was to the 138 kV power cross connect cable between the Unit 2 and 3 Station Auxiliary Transformers. Both Units are operating normally. There was no release of radioactive material. An investigation of the event is in progress.”

Offsite assistance was not required. Unit 2 was in a normal electrical line-up and Unit 3 was not affected.

The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector, State, Local, and Other Government Agencies. The licensee will issue a press release.

Notified DHS SWO, FEMA OPS Center, FEMA National Watch (email only), DHS NICC, Nuclear SSA (email only).

* * * UPDATE FROM R.T. THOMAS TO BETHANY CECERE AT 0955 EST on 11/8/16 * * *

The Unusual Event was terminated at 0946 EST based on the fire being out.

The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

Notified R1DO (McKinley), IRD (Gott), and NRR EO (Miller). Notified DHS SWO, FEMA OPS Center, FEMA National Watch (email only), DHS NICC, Nuclear SSA (email only).”
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2016/20161109en.html

Indian Pt “IP2 FSAR UPDATE Chapter 8, Page 1 of 29 Revision 25, 2014
CHAPTER 8 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS” http://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1428/ML14287A345.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_G._Trump
https://web.archive.org/web/20160327233418/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-transcript.html

Indian Point Explosion November 8 2016