The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has ordered inspections of all Illinois nuclear power plants after a site-area emergency at a plant 75 miles from Chicago.
Exelon Nuclear, the owner of the LaSalle County Generating Station, says there was never any danger in Monday's incident at the plant, where 24-year-old Unit 1, one of two reactors, was being powered down for refueling. Three control rods were not fully inserted but the reactor remained stable and no radiation leaked, the Chicago Tribune said.
The NRC ordered the inspections hours after the emergency, citing Exelon's recent disclosures about leaks of radioactive tritium.
The newspaper said the checks had been requested by U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller, R-Ill., last Wednesday after Exelon said tritium had leaked from three nuclear power stations in his district.
Tritium, a byproduct of nuclear reaction, was found in groundwater near the Braidwood Generating Station after four spills between 1996 and 2003, the report said.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
