RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An Alert at Dominion's Surry Power Station Unit 2 ended at 5:40 a.m. Sunday when off-site power to the station was partially restored.
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The Alert was declared at about 6 p.m. Saturday after two transformers that provide electricity to station safety systems de-energized after being struck by siding that had come off the turbine building on the non-nuclear side of the station.
The siding apparently was blown off by steam that was released within the turbine building during the shutdown of Unit 2. Dominion is investigating the cause of the event.
There was no danger to the public or station employees. No one was injured. Surry Unit 2 was shut down at 5:18 p.m. Saturday. Unit 1 continued to operate, but at reduced power.
Company workers successfully restored power at about 2 a.m. to one of the two electrical systems that provide off-site power to the station. Repairs to the second system are continuing and are expected to be completed later Sunday.
An Alert is the next to least serious of four emergency categories in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's rating system. Federal, state and local officials were notified.
Back-up diesel generators inside the station provide power to safety systems while off-site systems are out of service.
No release of radioactive material occurred during the incident beyond the minor amounts associated with normal plant operations. These minor releases pose no danger to the public or station workers. The minor releases are below federally approved operating limits, below natural background levels and cannot be detected at the site boundary.
Surry Unit 1 began operating in 1972 and Unit 2 in 1973. Each unit generates 799 megawatts.
Dominion , headquartered in Richmond, Va., is one of the nation's largest producers of energy. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/.
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