Engineers and inspectors are examining damage caused by a transformer fire at the Indian Point nuclear power plant that forced a temporary shutdown of a reactor, officials said Sunday, as the Department of Environmental Conservation continued to monitor how much oil from the facility has leaked into the Hudson River.
The fire, which started at about 6 p.m. Saturday at the suburban New York facility, was quickly extinguished by the plant’s sprinkler system and utility managers declared the reactor safe and stable. No one at the plant was injured.
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The spilled oil is from the ruptured transformer. Oil is used to cool down the transformer, but leaked out of it when the transformer ruptured. From there it went into a holding tank, which overflowed and spilled onto the ground, which empties into a drainage system that goes right into the Hudson River.
“There is no doubt that oil was discharged into the Hudson River,” Cuomo said at Indian Point on Sunday. “We have booms in the water now around the discharged pipe to collect any oil that may be in the river.”
Cuomo said that the New York state DEC is monitoring the oil in the Hudson.
The incident also raised concerns that foam used to extinguish the fire could pose an environmental hazard if it leaks into the nearby river, the governor said.
Read more at Engineers Assess Fire Damage at Indian Point Nuke Plant as DEC Monitors Oil in Hudson River
