Guest View: Keeping proper perspective on Indian Point

BY ARTHUR “JERRY” KREMER

Transformer difficulties, such as the recent malfunction at Indian Point Energy Center, are unfortunate but need to be kept in perspective. Such difficulties are a part of operating power plants. Every power plant, be it coal, natural gas or nuclear, has a transformer and they occasionally fail.

There have been more than a dozen transformer malfunctions in recent years in New York. The reality is that sometimes mechanical problems occur, but periodic operational difficulties do not make a plant unsafe, nor do they mean a plant should be closed.

The transformer that failed at Indian Point was a piece of mechanical equipment not related to the nuclear side of the plant. While any malfunction must be addressed, Indian Point had safety measures in place to swiftly respond to the issue. The plant immediately shut down, as it was designed to do, and the response was prompt and effective.

Entergy, the owner and operator of Indian Point, has been and will continue to work with the Department of Environmental Conservation and independent contractors to ensure any remaining effects of the malfunction are cleaned up and mitigated.

The transformer situation and the prompt return of Indian Point to service less than three weeks after the malfunction shows just how thoroughly equipped and prepared Indian Point personnel are to handle any contingency. Their professional response shows us that Indian Point is absolutely and unequivocally safe.

The plant has operated securely for decades. There are inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to continually monitor plant operations.

The NRC is also overseeing Indian Point”™s license renewal, and that exhaustive process has taken more than eight years and includes evaluating every aspect of the plant. This review process is rigorous, but Indian Point is up to the scrutiny. Year after year, the plant has received the NRC”™s highest safety rating, and the agency has recommended license renewal.

Even with the NRC”™s highest safety rating in hand, Indian Point continues to go above and beyond. Entergy has invested $1 billion in upgrades and improvements since purchasing the plants. That includes all components of the plant, from the containment structures to the sprinkler systems.

There are multiple levels of backup systems in place, such as a metal layer that surrounds the nuclear fuel, adding in extra protection. A four-inch thick, steel-reinforced concrete wall forms part of the containment structure. Many of these features may seem redundant or overkill, but they are all part of Indian Point”™s ongoing commitment to provide safe and clean power to New Yorkers.

It is not just the physical aspects of the plant that Entergy invests in; it is the employees as well. Indian Point is staffed by highly skilled workers, all of whom undergo extensive training.

Before a new employee can even step foot in a nuclear power plant, he or she must complete some of the most rigorous safety training of any industry. Training continues throughout an Indian Point”™s employee”™s career. For instance, reactor operators receive a week”™s worth of training for every six weeks on the job. This is to ensure their safety skills are always top-notch.

The cause of the transformer failure needs to be determined, but it does not negate the fact that nuclear power in general, and Indian Point in particular, is one of the safest methods of producing electricity that man has ever known.

The real danger lies in what will happen to New York if Indian Point were to close. There is no way to replace Indian Point”™s energy generation without building new fossil fuel plants or bringing old ones back online. The increased fossil fuel usage would include increased toxic emissions, leading to poor air quality. These emissions are a direct threat to the health and well-being of many New Yorkers from greater asthma and respiratory problems.

The bottom line is that Indian Point is safe and important for the economy and the environment.

Arthur “Jerry” Kremer is chairman of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance (New York AREA), an organization of more than 150 business, labor and community groups, including Entergy, the owner of Indian Point. Founded in 2003, New York AREA”™s stated mission and purpose is to ensure that the New York metropolitan area has an ample and reliable electricity supply, and economic prosperity, for years to come.