Based upon the report in the Rutland Herald, it looks like the leak is in the reactor clean-up system. In a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) water containing contaminants flows in while chemically clean but still radioactive steam exits the reactor. This system is designed to clean up the water inside the reactor so it doesn’t become contaminated with chemical contaminants that might injure the fuel or weaken the reactor vessel.
Once again this is an example of VY’s deferred maintenance at the risk of both reliability and safety. The reactor water clean-up is considered a safety system.
How ironic that Entergy did not release this information when the incident occurred, but waited until their weekly newsletter, which was released on the eve of two huge voting issues at the State Legislature. I guess that ENVY is hoping the legislators will not notice the 3rd leak in 3 months. The 2nd leak was also in this same safety related system.
I wonder if DPS was given this information and sat on it too, or not informed as has also previously occurred.
Yankee springs another hot leak
BRATTLEBORO – Entergy Nuclear announced late Wednesday afternoon that it had another radioactive leak, this time in a filter that removes radioactivity from other water leaks.
The company, in its weekly newsletter to the media, said the leak was not affecting the operation of the plant. The leak was found in a filter in a portion of the plant that was plagued by another leak that was fixed last week after three months of leaking thousands of gallons of radioactive water…
…Today’s announcement is the third radioactive leak at the plant in the past three months.
Ya gotta wonder if ENVY is trying to make the other nuclear plant operators jealous, by showing off just how much they can get away with without any worries about either the legislature or Governor declaring “enough.”
That make you glad you won’t live forever.
God, I am just waiting for this plant to explode. There is always something wrong with it. Why do we need this ramshackle place again?
Maybe Entergy should spend more money on maintaining their aging and deteriorating nuclear power plant and less on paying for ads against marriage equality for same-sex couples.
Shay Totten wrote in his Seven Days Fair Game column this week:
Word is Gov. Douglas’ longtime support of Vermont Yankee will pay off this week. VY’s parent company Entergy will air ads backing the guv’s decision to veto same-sex marriage and is urging him to also veto the recent bill forcing the company to fork over extra money into the decommissioning fund.
How are the two vetoes connected? When reached for a comment, an Entergy spokesman said, “We want to stand with Gov. Jim Douglas in his defense of the traditional, nuclear family.