All clear, after 3½ hours

BUCHANAN – Entergy officials declared an alert at the Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant Sunday evening following an explosion of one of its two main electrical transformers. The alert was lifted 3½ hours later.

Those devices are located outdoors in a non-nuclear area of the plant and help transfer electricity that is generated at the power plant to the main electrical grid.

The plant automatically shut down following the explosion and is in a safe condition. Entergy said there was no release of radioactivity as a result of the event and no workers were injured. Plant equipment operated normally during the shutdown.

Workers continue to inspect the failed transformer and related systems prior to developing a plan for repairs.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was notified of the event, which occurred at 6:39 p.m. and the lifting of the alert at 10:18 p.m.

An alert is the second of four emergency classifications for US nuclear power plants.

Indian Point Unit 3 remains online at full power.