Palisades VP: 'We had a wake-up call'

COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - After a turbulent summer, the Palisades nuclear power plant is up and running.
 
But there is still a level of leakage near the refueling tank -- the same thing that caused two plant shutdowns this summer.
 
Plant operators believe it's actually rainwater, but say they won't be able to confirm that until the Covert Township plant can secure its new roof in October.
 
At a public open house in South Haven Thursday, plant operators wanted to give their perspective on the shutdowns.
 
"We've had a series of starts and stops because we're doing a very thorough scrub of our performance at Palisades," said Site Vice President Anthony Vitale.
 
Among the performance assessments is one of a 300,000 gallon water storage tank. The borated water held in the tank is used to cool the reactor during refueling and in the event of an emergency. In mid-June, operators realized it was leaking more than 30 gallons a day.

The plant shut down in order to drill sand into the bottom of the tank to seal the cracks.

During the summer shutdown, construction was also underway on a new cooling tower, made of lighter, more durable material.

The tower, used to pump unused heat into the atmosphere, was torn down and rebuilt this summer. Last year, experts realized it was past the point of repair and at risk of collapse.
 
But Vitale said people who live nearby should not be afraid.
 
"As nuclear professionals, we would never do anything at any time jeopardizes the health and safety of the public or of the workers at Palisades," he said.
 
Community leaders told 24 Hour News 8, they're happy with the Palisade response to their needed repairs.

"The good here is that they're contributing to our community," said Covert Township Supervisor Barbara Rose. "They're an asset. But at the same time, they're working diligently to make sure that the plant is safe and that my residents are protected."
 
The plant has more construction on the books for 2015, but the main goal is to return to top-ranking in performance.

The February shutdown prompted a more close inspection by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission after safety concerns arose.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission groups nuclear plants into columns depending on their performance, with the fifth category being the worst. Right now, Palisades is down in the third after being downgraded in January.
 
"We had a wake-up call," said Vitale. "We are fully committed at all levels or the organization to return Palisades to operational excellence."
 
As a result of the downgrade, the plant has to undergo more rigorous and intrusive inspections.