Forked River, New Jersey - Operators at Oyster Creek Generating Station responded quickly Monday morning when electrical service coming in to the station was temporarily disrupted. The reactor was taken offline and the plant performed as designed.
As a result, an Unusual Event was declared at 3:41 a.m. ET and then terminated at 5:38 a.m. ET, after Jersey Central Power & Light crews corrected the issue.
An unusual event is the lowest of four Nuclear Regulatory Commission emergency classifications. Exelon Generation personnel notified all appropriate federal, state and local government officials.
During the grid disturbance, two diesel-powered generators supplied electrical power to key plant components. These generators are one of several methods of providing backup power to the station when necessary.
Oyster Creek is located about 60 miles east of Philadelphia in Ocean County, New Jersey. The plant produces 636 net megawatts of electricity at full power, enough electricity to supply 600,000 typical homes, the equivalent to all homes in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined. In addition, plant workers, through their payrolls, contribute more than $96 million to New Jersey's economy.