UPDATE - Security alert dropped at Three Mile Island nuke
Date: 19-Oct-01
Country: USA
Author: Scott DiSavino
"We took the appropriate actions putting the reactor on a heightened state of alert last night following a report from the federal intelligence community of a threat to Three Mile Island," Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), said.
"We no longer consider that threat credible," Sheehan said, adding it was "very specific" to the Three Mile Island facility. He declined to elaborate.
"Everything appears to be back to normal" Melanie White, spokeswoman for the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington.
Three Mile Island permanently shut one of its two reactors after an accident in 1979. The remaining unit has been shut since Oct. 8 for refueling, which raises security risks because it involves bringing in hundreds of contract workers. Refueling operations are typically carried out every 18 to 24 months at U.S. reactors.
All 103 U.S. nuclear power rectors, among the most closely guarded facilities in the country, have been on even higher alert following the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The NRC was notified of the threat late Wednesday, in turn alerting Exelon Nuclear, which operates Three Mile Island, prompting stepped up security in coordination with state and federal agencies.
The plant, about 12 miles (19 km) from the Pennsylvania state capital in Harrisburg, is owned by AmerGen Energy Inc, a joint venture between Exelon Corp. of Chicago, the parent of Exelon Nuclear, and British Energy plc of Edinburgh, Scotland.
AIRPORTS BRIEFLY SHUT
The threat prompted the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees the safety of the nation's airports and airlines, to shut airspace to planes for 20 miles (32 km) around the plant, including the nearby Harrisburg International and Lancaster airports for about four hours.
Pennsylvania State Troopers, local police and private security hired by Exelon Nuclear were guarding Three Mile Island.
While National Guard troops have been sent to guard nuclear power stations in New York and New Jersey following the Sept. 11 attacks, there were no guardsmen at Three Mile Island.
Three Mile Island made headlines in 1979 when an overheated reactor triggered the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history, leaking some radiation while operators scrambled to ease pressure building up in the reactor containment vessel.