Key Issues
Nuclear Plants’ Structural Strength, Emergency Plans Perform Well Through Hurricane Katrina
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Multiple Layers of Protection
A combination of factors protects nuclear power plants from catastrophic storms like Hurricane Katrina:
The storm directly affected three plants—two in Louisiana and one in Mississippi. None of the plants experienced any significant damage or flooding. The experience of these three reactors during Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the abil-ity of these facilities to prepare for and endure major storms, to protect the public and provide vital services during and after the storm.
Entergy’s River Bend plant near Baton Rouge, La., and Grand Gulf plant near Jackson, Miss., safely produced electric-ity throughout the storm. The plants operated at less than full capacity at times during and after the storm because of reduced electricity demand or damage to electricity delivery infrastructure that prevented integration of full output from the plants. Although a signifi-cant portion of Southern Company’s service area was affected by the storm, its Farley nuclear plant in southern Alabama was unharmed.
Only Entergy’s Waterford plant in St. Charles Parish near New Orleans shut down in advance of the storm. Entergy shut down the reactor accord-ing to special operating procedures implemented in advance of projected, sustained hurricane-force winds. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorized restart of the plant on Sept. 9, less than two weeks after the storm.
Multiple Layers of Protection
A combination of factors protects nuclear power plants from catastrophic storms like Hurricane Katrina:
- The plants’ design, including multiple levels of backup safety and emergency systems
- Structural strength, including thick concrete and steel construction of the reactor containment building
- Highly trained operators
- Proven emergency plans.
The storm directly affected three plants—two in Louisiana and one in Mississippi. None of the plants experienced any significant damage or flooding. The experience of these three reactors during Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the abil-ity of these facilities to prepare for and endure major storms, to protect the public and provide vital services during and after the storm.
Entergy’s River Bend plant near Baton Rouge, La., and Grand Gulf plant near Jackson, Miss., safely produced electric-ity throughout the storm. The plants operated at less than full capacity at times during and after the storm because of reduced electricity demand or damage to electricity delivery infrastructure that prevented integration of full output from the plants. Although a signifi-cant portion of Southern Company’s service area was affected by the storm, its Farley nuclear plant in southern Alabama was unharmed.
Only Entergy’s Waterford plant in St. Charles Parish near New Orleans shut down in advance of the storm. Entergy shut down the reactor accord-ing to special operating procedures implemented in advance of projected, sustained hurricane-force winds. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorized restart of the plant on Sept. 9, less than two weeks after the storm.
