Nuclear mattersFlorida Power and Light reacts sharply to reports of illegal intruders at nuclear power plant
FP&L maintains that the Cuban migrants landing on its property did not pose a risk to the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant; still, the fact is that 30 Cubans landed in a secure area of the nuclear plant and spent six hours there without being detected by plant’s security personnel; FP&L became aware of the intruders only when they themselves called to control room to announce their arrival
On Thanksgiving, thirty-three Cuban illegal Aliens navigated a small boat into the cooling canals at Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant near Homestead, Florida. That they were on FP&L property for several hours is not in dispute, but company representatives maintain that the intruders did not present a threat to the facility at any time and were in fact approximately six miles from the reactor when apprehended.
Company spokesman Michael Waldron said this in an e-mail to the Washington Examiner regarding the incident and the manner in which it was reported in the Examiner:
“First, there is nothing for these individuals to have broken into; this piece of land is six miles away from the plant and is part of an 11,000 acre property — the majority of which is an environmental area. There was no “security breach” or anything that came close. At no time did any of the individuals pose a threat or come anywhere close to the facility itself. Your implications about security at the plant are completely inflammatory and misinformed — FPL maintains a very strong security program that is regularly evaluated by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to meet their standards. I would strongly suggest that you consult with the NRC or NEI to understand the extent of the required security at U.S. Nuclear Power plants, including Turkey Point.”
The Examiner did consult the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Web site as suggested, and the agency has very specific guidelines for security at Nuclear Power Plants.
NRC requires licensees to take a graded approach to physical protection through the use of specifically defined areas with increasing levels of security. These areas are:
- Protected area
- Material access areas
As FP&L’s Waldron says, the area in question is part of an 11,000-acre wildlife refuge owned by FP&L and part of the Turkey Point Facility. These cooling canals are apparently in the Exclusion Area, which have the lowest form of protection required but must be secure nonetheless. This also from the NRC Web site:
“The exclusion area is that area in which the licensee has the authority to determine all activities including exclusion or removal of personnel and property from the area. Although the licensee may have fences and guard posts to limit access to an exclusion area, these are not required as long as the licensee controls the area.”
The fact is that plant personnel were unaware of the intruders for about six hours — until the Cuban refugees called into the control room on a maintenance phone/call box to claim immunity and asylum. At that time the appropriate authorities were contacted and plant security personnel conducted a search of the area.
“While FP&L is understandably seeking to minimize the intrusion it does still call into question just how secure this area is and if any further concerns with facility security are warranted,” the Examiner concludes.
