5 Nuclear Reactors in US Shutdown in Last Few Days. Just as Power Grids Worldwide Expected to Fail?

(Shepard Ambellas)   With the recent power grid failure in India and other problems such as the Fukushima Diachi disaster, one can never be too sure when the kickoff to martial law might be.

However, what I do know is that a source of mine in the nuclear power industry was told late last year (by officials) to prepare for just that, as power grids worldwide are expected to fail in 2012 or 2013 according to some reports.

An excerpt from the Baltimore Sun reads;

The sun goes through an 11-year cycle during which sunspots and flares peak and decline. The next peak is expected in 2013, and the radiation that may shower Earth could wreak havoc on satellite communications, radio waves and the electricity grid. (It also could create spectacular aurora borealis — the Northern Lights).

A variety of applications of GPS technology — such as managing cellular telephone signals and tracking planes in the air — could be affected, said Anthony Russo, director of the National Coordination Office for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing.

In the worst case, solar flares could disrupt all the electronic systems we’ve come to rely on in daily life. A large burst of radiation from the sun, for example, could knock out power transmission systems for months, grid experts warn.

Two out of three nuclear power plants in Minnesota have been shut down for unscheduled maintenance.

An excerpt from the Star Tribune reads;

Xcel Energy said Tuesday it has shut down two of Minnesota’s three nuclear reactors for what it called minor repairs.

Neither plant released any radiation or posed any danger to citizens, the company said. The Monticello nuclear plant’s single generating unit, which had been operating at 10 percent capacity since last weekend, was shut down because of a leaking pipe inside the plant’s concrete containment structure, the company said.

One of the two nuclear generators at the Prairie Island plant was shut down because its emergency diesel generators suffered exhaust leaks.

“It’s unusual for us to shut down both units in [the] same half day, but it’s not unheard of,” Xcel spokeswoman Mary Sandok said.

The company is compensating by buying more electricity from other providers on the Midwest power grid, Sandok said. Although additional electricity costs are passed to ratepayers, the effect is not likely to be large enough for most to notice, she said.

And if that’s not enough for you, theres more, one of two of Maryland’s nuclear reactors has been shut down as well.

An excerpt from the Baltimore Sun reads;

Operators of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in Southern Maryland have shut down one of the two reactors there because a control rod unexpectedly dropped into the reactor core, causing a reduction in power generation, a plant spokesman said Monday.

But wait, theres more. Now a Michigan plant has been shut down as well.

That’s 4 nuclear plants in one day.

An excerpt from Reuters reads;

The 793-MW unit was shut after a leak was identified Aug. 12.

The leak has not resulted in a release of radiation to the environment and is not a threat to public health and safety, the agency said.

Since July, the NRC has been monitoring a gradual increase of unidentified leakage at the reactor and sought safety assurances from Energy on those leaks.

It has been reported by NASA and others that solar flares in the year 2012 might act up so strong that power grids worldwide fail.

THE FIVE (5) PLANTS ARE:

1. Minnesota – Prairie Island – Shutdown Aug. 14
2. Minnesota – Monticello – Shutdown Aug. 14
3. Maryland – Calvert Cliffs – Shutdown Aug. 12
4. Michigan – Palisades – Shutdown Aug. 12
5. (forgot to include in the video, ty for the reminder @Socksee)
Connecticut – Millstone Power Station – Shutdown Aug. 12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD5Vl_o31eo

http://theintelhub.com/2012/08/15/nuclear-reactors-in-us-shutdown-today-as-power-grids-worldwide-expected-to-fail/