St. Lucie Power Plant’s Unit 1 manually shut down after control rods drop into core
Incident reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 1 on Hutchinson Island was manually shut down in a non-emergency when three control rods dropped into the reactor core, according to an event notification report posted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
At 9:47 a.m. Thursday, Unit 1 at Mode 1 was at 100% power when the manual procedure was conducted by operators with Florida Power & Light.
“The trip was uncomplicated with all systems responding normally post-trip,” NRC said. “Operations stabilized the plant in Mode 3. Decay heat is being removed by discharging steam to the main condenser using the turbine bypass valves and main feedwater.”
Unit 2 was not affected.
The NRC resident inspector has been notified.
Control rods, which are movable components made from neutron-absorbing materials, are used in reactors to regulate the rate of nuclear fission. When they go into the reactor core, they can cause a loss of enough free neutrons to stop a chain reaction and the reactor shuts down.
The FPL site on 1,200 acres in Jensen Beach.
Unit 1 commenced operations in 1976 and Unit 2 in 1983.
The facility generates approximately 2,000 megawatts of emissions-free electricity, supplying roughly 11% of FPL’s total power generation and serving more than 1 million homes and businesses, according to NextEra, the parent company.
In April, the NRC renewed the license for Unit 1 through 2056 and Unit 2 through 2063.
The other power plant in Florida is Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station in Homestead.
Between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday, the FPL Siren Team will conduct minor maintenance on each of the 92 sirens throughout St. Lucie and Martin counties in a test of an emergency at the power plant.
Maintenance on each siren will include a test that will involve a one-minute sounding. Before and after the sirens sound, a message will be broadcast on the sirens’ public-address system stating, “This is only a test.”
In the unlikely event of an actual emergency at the St. Lucie plant, the sirens would sound for at least a five-minute period. Official instructions or information would follow on local radio and television.
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