Witnesses have documented what was called a “huge explosion” at a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant via a Twitter feed. The plant is located just north of New York City, and was large enough to cause the operator to shut down the impacted unit.
“In what witnesses described as a huge explosion, a transformer at the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City caught on fire Saturday, billowing smoke and prompting the operator to shut down the impacted unit.”
New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, said that in the aftermath of the blaze at Indian Point, firefighters extinguished the flames with a “special kind of foam.”
The implications for residents are obvious. The ‘special foam’ was full of chemicals, and the explosion itself caused a lot of oil leakage, which could possibly affect the Hudson River.
“New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that, in the aftermath of the blaze, firefighters extinguished the flames with a ‘special kind of foam.’ The governor voiced concern about the environmental implications of this substance and oil leaks from transformer: ‘There is a lot of foam and a lot of oil and now we are worried about that leaking in to the Hudson River.'”
This was the second shut down within three days at the site.
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Operator Entergy corporation claimed on Twitter Saturday evening that the facility was “safe, secure, and stable” following the “unusual event,” but provided no information about the cause of the explosion.
Though the facility provides energy to many New York suburbs, many are questioning the safety of the plant, and the further contamination of the area with radioactive byproducts of the aging structure.
Indian Point has been said to have a “laundry list” of safety problems, including being vulnerable for terrorist attacks. River Keeper, a New York grassroots, clean-water, activist community has been working to have the site shut down for years due to these concerns.
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(Featured Photo: Ricky Flores/AP)
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