OREANDA-NEWS. Operators at Byron Generating Station declared and then terminated an unusual event Sunday on the facility’s Unit 2 reactor. The unit has been offline for a planned refueling outage since April 18.

The event was declared when water leakage from the system that provides cooling water to the unit exceeded procedural limits. Operators identified the source valve, quickly isolated it and terminated the event. The excess water did not leave the system’s piping and at no time was there any impact to workers or a threat to public health and safety. Operators are continuing with the unit’s planned refueling outage activities.

The unusual event was declared at 11:18 a.m. CDT and terminated at 2:59 p.m. CDT.

Station personnel notified local, state and federal officials, including the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), regarding the event. An unusual event is the lowest of four emergency classifications established by the NRC.

Byron Generating Station is in Ogle County, Ill., about 25 miles southwest of Rockford.