Illinois: NRC conducting special inspection at Cordova nuclear plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is conducting a special inspection at the Cordova nuclear power plant after two incidents with the same battery. On May 19, Unit 1 of the Quad Cities Generating Station lost electrical power. The water that keeps the reactor cool started draining, forcing Unit 1 to shut down. According to the NRC, the incident was caused by a “degraded condition on a Unit 2 battery.” On May 22, the same battery caught fire during a test, compelling the plant to issue a Notification of Unusual Event, the NRC’s lowest emergency classification. The fire was quickly extinguished, and Unit 2 was not affected by it.
While the NRC acknowledged that both incidents did not endanger public health or plant workers, it wants to ascertain if they are connected and what caused them. In a press release, Region III Administrator Jack Giessner said an independent review by the regulator is needed to identify the battery problems behind the incidents. Once the NRC concludes the inspection, it will publish its findings online.