http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=engThe Salem 2 nuclear reactor was shut down Thursday evening due to low water levels in one of the steam generators at the facility, according to a spokesman for the plant’s operator. The reactor automatically went off line at 6:20 p.m., according to PSEG Nuclear’s spokesman Joe Delmar. The low water level was caused by the failure of a feedwater pump that supplies water to the steam generator. The generator and pump are on the non-nuclear side of the plant, Delmar said this morning. The equipment responded as it should when the low water levels were detected. Troubleshooting is under way this morning to determine what caused the failure of the feedwater pump. Delmar could not estimate when Salem 2 would return to service. Salem 2 is one of three nuclear reactors operated by PSEG Nuclear at its Artificial Island generating complex here. Salem 2 was last shut down earlier this month for a brief time when ice in the Delaware River clogged the water intakes at the plant. Water is drawn from the river and circulated to cool the plant. Thursday’s pump failure was not connected to the earlier icing issues. Neighboring reactors at the Island, Salem Unit 1 and Hope Creek remain operating at full power this morning, Delmar said. The three reactors comprise the second largest commercial nuclear complex in the United States.
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