MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The incident with the Indian Point nuclear power plant near New York City demonstrates why the facility must be closed, according to the local Riverkeeper environmentalist group.
The Indian Point Unit 3 nuclear power plant was shut down Saturday after the transformer's fire outside of the nuclear area of the plant, that, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has resulted in an oil spill from the damaged transformer.
“Indian Point has a long, disturbing history of operational and environmental problems. The plant’s aging infrastructure has caught up to it and we must see that it is closed or these problems will only worsen with potentially catastrophic results,” Riverkeeper's President Paul Gallay said as quoted in a press release on Sunday.
“The oil sheen and notable odor were heaviest close to the Indian Point power plant,” Riverkeeper pointed out.
The transformer's fire on Saturday was the third similar incident with Indian Point since 2007.
After the main transformer for the Indian Point Unit 2 exploded in 2010, the Entergy Corporation operating the facility agreed to pay a $1.2 million fine. The incident also resulted in an oil spill in the Hudson River.
The nuclear power plant produces 25 percent of the New York City and Westchester’s electricity, generating about 2,000 megawatts of electricity.
