Containers at North Anna Nuclear Plant Shifted in Quake

Dominion officials: Everything still intact

Last week's 5.8-magnitude earthquake caused massive storage containers at the North Anna Nuclear Power Station to shift, Dominion Virginia Power officials said Thursday.

The nuclear plant is located just 12 miles from the epicenter of the quake. Both reactors were taken off-line by the tremors.

Dominion officials said the containers are still intact but 25 of them shifted as much as 4.5 inches during the quake. Those containers store used fuel and can weigh up to 115 tons when they're full.

The company said crews are evaluating whether they need to move the containers back to their original position, but they believe the containers are still safely spaced.

The earthquake also caused cosmetic damage to concrete containers that hold other fuel-storage canisters, according to Dominion. But those containers were not shifted and maintained the used fuel inside in a safe condition.

Meanwhile, Constellation Energy Nuclear Group said that one of two nuclear reactors at its Calvert Cliffs power plant is being brought back online after being shut down automatically during
Hurricane Irene.

The reactor was shut down when a piece of siding was blown into a transformer. Constellation issued a statement Wednesday saying damage was not found in any of its equipment or systems. The company says that two representatives from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission are also at the site as the unit is being brought back online.

The incident cut the facility's electricity output in half.

The company says the second unit was not affected and has continued to operate at full power.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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