‘Unusual event’ at Oconee Nuclear Station poses no threat to public, Duke says

Duke Energy officials declared an “Unusual Event” at Oconee Nuclear Station in Oconee County Sept. 10 that posed no threat to public safety.

An Unusual Event is the lowest of four nuclear emergency classifications. This classification describes a condition or event that is outside of normal plant operations but poses no threat to public safety.

According to Duke Energy, a small leak in the system that provides cooling water to the Unit 1 reactor was detected during scheduled maintenance. The leak was stopped, and water was contained inside the plant.

The facility’s sensitive monitoring equipment indicated extremely small quantities of radiation were released as a result of this event but posed no threat to public health or safety.

Oconee Nuclear Station is a three-unit power station lo