Feb 26, 2000 - 06:58 PM

Robots Used to Study Radiation Leak

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) - Remote control robots began probing faulty steam generators at the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant Saturday to determine the cause and extent of a radiation leak earlier this month, Consolidated Edison officials said.

The robots, which are several inches long and resemble thin cylinders, were dropped into steam generator tubes. They are expected to help determine whether the generators should be replaced and when the plant can be reopened, said Robert Leonard, a Consolidated Edison spokesman.

"Once we have a couple weeks of information and digest it, we're going to know a lot more about our options," said Stephen Quinn, vice president of Con Edison, which owns and operates the plant about 35 miles north of New York City.

A brief leak of radioactive steam into the air on Feb. 15 forced Con Edison to issue an alert - the second of four ascending levels of nuclear emergency.

The utility has said the accident never posed a serious public threat. But residents have complained they weren't immediately notified of the leak. The inspection of the plant is expected to take 28 days.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGIR4FQV55C.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 27, 2000

Answers

Thanks Carl for this post. It is certainly disturbing to me [and should be to everyone] that we have these types of problems with our nuclear power plants. And the idea of telling the public it is "just a short little release of radioactive steam"...gawwwwd! If it was so uneventful an event...then why don`t they let some of their VIP`s walk in there and check it out instead of sending in robots!.....

-- mutter (murmur@ya.com), February 27, 2000.