Glued Switches in Backup Control Room Spur Alert at Nuclear Plant
Florida Power and Light declared a low-level emergency at one of its nuclear power plants Wednesday after inspectors discovered that someone had poured glue into switches in a backup control room.
The St. Lucie plant continued to operate, and safety was not compromised, FPL spokesman Dale Thomas said.
FPL inspectors found the glue in three locked switches in a control room that would be used to shut down the nuclear unit in case the main control room couldn’t be used. The glue left the switches inoperable.
FPL ordered a security alert and notified the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Thomas said. The FBI was also investigating.
Thomas said the glue could not have gotten on the switches by accident. Inspectors were checking the plant to make sure there weren’t any other problems, he said.
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