Indian Point Unit 3 in New York shuts down for maintenance

Unit 3 at Indian Point is undergoing maintenance.
Unit 3 at Indian Point is undergoing maintenance. | Courtesy of Entergy
Entergy Corp. said its Indian Point Unit 3 reactor in New York will be offline as it undergoes maintenance starting Monday in order to replace water seals following reports of slight water leakage.
   
The company said that there is no threat of radiation leaking from the facility relating to this issue and as a result there will not be a risk of exposure to radiation to workers, the environment or the public. Unit 2 at the facility is currently operating at full capacity.

Entergy did not give a specific time frame for when Unit 3 would return to service, stating only that it would come back online after repairs were completed.

The nuclear facility is located in Buchanan, N.Y. New York, and its two nuclear plants generate approximately 2,000 megawatts combined. Entergy said that prior to this shutdown, Unit 3 has operated for 68 continuous days and Unit 2 has operated for 545 continuous days.

The water seals are located between the lid of the reactor and the reactor vessel.

The Daily Freeman reports that in May, Unit 3 was shut down following an explosion and fire incident and that it was out of operation for 16 days. They also report that approximately 3,000 gallons of oil was spilled into the Hudson River. The explosion was attributed to faulty insulation.