Maine Reactor Shuts Down in Fire in Time to Stop Leak, Officials Say

WISCASSET, Me. — Fire severely damaged the non-nuclear part of the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant, but the reactor shut down normally and no radiation was released, officials said Tuesday.

Rep. Thomas H. Andrews (D-Me.) accused Maine Yankee officials of withholding details about the fire’s severity when it began Monday night. Plant officials denied trying to downplay the incident.

“The public has a right to know exactly what occurred,” Andrews said. “They should be given all the details surrounding the accident and the ensuing investigation as quickly as possible.”

Maine Yankee officials confirmed Monday night that a fire had broken out, but they gave no indication of its severity and said they could provide no details until Tuesday. Late Tuesday morning, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave the first description of the fire and details of the damage.

The company said later Tuesday that the plant’s main generator may have sustained “serious damage” during the fire.

Maine Yankee President Charles Frizzle said the fire was “probably the most serious event” at the plant in its 19 years. He said no one was injured, and that the blaze posed no danger to the public.

Charles Marschall, the NRC’s senior resident inspector at the plant, said the fire was fueled by hydrogen and damaged the plant’s main transformer, electrical conductors and wires leading from the generator to the transformer.

The transformer feeds electricity produced by the plant to the transmission system outside the plant, the company said.

If the generator is not damaged, the plant will be shut down for several weeks while officials replace the transformer. If the generator is inoperable, the plant may be down for several months while a new one is installed, Frizzle said.