Palisades leak 'a serious condition'

COVERT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - The leak at the Palisades nuclear plant that forced another shutdown on Sunday is "a serious condition" that has to be fixed before the plant can resume operating, officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told 24 Hour News 8.

Earlier this summer, Palisades was shut down to fix a leak in a big tank containing cooling water. As soon as they re-started about a month ago, workers noticed another water leak inside the reactor containment itself.

A team, with cameras mounted on poles, went into the containment building several times while the plant was running, but couldn't find the leak because it was in an inaccessible area.

Once the plant was shut down Sunday, the team re-entered and noticed steam escaping from the mechanism that operates one of the 45 rods that are lowered into the reactor to control the power level.

Plant spokesman Mark Savage said a crew will replace the part and examine it to find out exactly what leaked and why. The leak is not at any place where there is a connection so it could be in the wall of a pipe itself.
    
The leak is in the closed system which circulates water into the nuclear reactor to keep it cool, Savage said. The water that did leak out of the mechanism was sucked up by pumps, was kept in the system and did not get outside the reactor.

Still an NRC spokesperson said the place the leak is located kicked in a zero-tolerance level requiring it be fixed before the plant can re-start.

The NRC has two resident inspectors at Palisades and on Monday sent a third inspector to the plant.  

Palisades has been under increased scrutiny because of a poor safety record over the last year. An NRC spokesman said in this case Palisades voluntarily shut the plant down based on a self-imposed leak rate standard even more stringent than the government's.  

Savage told 24 Hour News 8, "If nuclear safety is an issue we shut the plant down and fix it."