A large explosion rocked the Indian Point nuclear power plant in upstate New York, the facility’s management has reported.
Entergy Corporation, the company which operates the plant, said the affected parts of the facility were “safely shut down” and in “safe and stable condition” after a transformer failure on Saturday.
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An Entergy spokesman told Reuters news agency that a fire in the transformer had been extinguished and that there was no damage to the reactor.
The fire, which occurred at around 5 PM EDT (10 PM GMT), triggered the closure of the plant’s Unit 3 reactor, but its Unit 2 continues to operate, Jerry Nappi said.
He said there was no information yet as to what caused the transformer failure. The fire was put out by the sprinkler system at the transformer and on-site personnel, Nappi said.
The transformers are located about 1, 000 to 1, 250 feet away from the reactor.
Indian Point Energy Center is a three-unit nuclear power plant located in Buchanan, New York, just south of Peekskill. The plant is on the east bank of the Hudson river, about 40 miles north of New York City.
Residents in the vicinity of the plant reported the explosion and said they saw a 700 foot high fireball over the power plant.