Ten Nuclear Plants Declare 'Unusual Event' After Earthquake
Former NRC Commissioner Jeff Merrifield on the precautions taken at 10 nuclear power plants after the earthquake in Virginia.
Immediately following the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck central Virginia, all eyes turned to the status of nuclear plants in the area around the quakes epicenter.
The North Anna Power Station, a nuclear plant located in Louisa County in central Va., was the nearest to the epicenter of the earthquake that struck Miner, Va. at approximately 1:51 p.m. ET.
The plant, which is operated by Dominion (NYSE:D), has two nuclear reactors. A spokesperson from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the plant lost offsite power automatically after the quake hit, and is currently operating on four diesel generators. The North Anna plant declared an unusual event, the lowest of four emergency classifications.
Dominion did not immediately return FOXBusiness.com's calls for comment.
In total, 10 nuclear plants in four states along the East Coast declared unusual events according to the NRC. An unusual event is a technical term used to denote that something out of the ordinary has happened, the NRC said. It does not mean that the reactor was actually damaged.
The specific plants that have declared an unusual event include the North Anna and Surry plants in Virginia; the Hope Creek, Oyster Creek and Salem plants in New Jersey; the Susquehanna, Three Mile Island, Peach Bottom and Limerick plants in Pennsylvania; and the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland, according to the NRC.