A chemical at unit 1 of Constellation’s Byron Clean Energy Center in Illinois resulted in eight workers being hospitalised. Ogle County Sheriff’s Office said multiple ambulances responded to the scene and transported the employees to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment. A spokesperson for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) told WNIJ that the incident was not related to the nuclear operations of the plant.
The plant is currently closed for scheduled maintenance and refuelling. Constellation Energy issued a statement saying eight outage workers at the Byron plant were transported to local hospitals as a precaution “after a small amount of a common non-radiological chemical used in plant systems escaped a holding tank in the turbine building”. It added: “Byron’s highly-trained response teams took appropriate steps to contain the leak quickly and ensure potentially impacted workers received appropriate medical attention. While this event does not impact public health or safety, we will continue to keep Byron workers and community stakeholders informed.”
In a Facebook post, Constellation board member Zach Oltmanns thanked the first responders at the scene. “Today’s event at the Byron Nuclear Plant is understandably concerning for many in our community and serves as a reminder of the serious and complex work performed at the facility every day. It also reminds us how quickly situations can change. Our community benefits from dedicated professionals who train, prepare, and respond to keep people safe. Today’s response is a reflection of that commitment.”
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle noted: “It’s fortunate for us in the all-hazard world that it doesn’t matter what the title at the top of the page is, the process from the command staff all looks the same. We’re able to get the right pieces in place and make sure the situation is handled. From the command staff side what we did here today is exactly what we do for things like our annual NRC testing for the plant or for a weather event. It’s the same process. We just have to know the right players to get in place.”
He added: “Today is a good example of how we have to help our neighbors. Whether it’s a chemical incident at a nuclear power plant or something else, nobody is big enough to handle a problem by themselves when it becomes a significant impact. Mutual aid is huge and it’s something we’ve stressed a lot.”
Meanwhile, at Constellation’s LaSalle Clean Energy Center, also in Illinois, residents were concerned when sirens at the plant began blaring. Law enforcement quickly got the message out to residents of Ottawa, Seneca, and Marseilles that it was a false alarm. A faulty piece of equipment had set off the sirens in error. Sirens in a 10-mile radius of the plant are supposed to alert residents in case of a nuclear emergency.
