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Jul 22, 2006 8:20 am US/Eastern
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Indian Point Shut Down After Sparks Fly
BUCHANAN, N.Y. (CBS/AP) ―
The Indian Point 3 nuclear power plant was shut down Friday after operators saw sparks on some metal scaffolding beneath a generator.
Jim Steets, a spokesman for plant owner Entergy Nuclear Northeast, said the manual shutdown was accomplished safely and there were no injuries and no release of radioactivity. He predicted the plant would be returned to service before the end of the weekend.
Indian Point 3, like its twin Indian Point 2, produces a thousand megawatts of power from a site in Buchanan, on the Hudson River. Jim Smith, a spokesman for the state Independent System Operator, which monitors energy transmission, said Friday's demand was well below capacity and the sudden cut in supply should have no effect on consumers. "This is something we plan for and can take care of at a moment's notice," he said.
Thousands of homes and businesses in the metropolitan area were still without power Friday from days-old outages that began during a heat wave earlier in the week. "Even with those issues downstate we don't expect the Indian Point shutdown to give us any problems," Smith said.
Steets says metal scaffolding coming too close to a series of electrical connections apparently caused the sparks. "The control room decided conservatively to shut down just to be safe," he said.
Indian Point 3 was shut down in July because of worn wiring.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)