“Unusual Event” at Oconee Nuclear Power Station

PICKENS COUNTY — Local fire departments were called to respond to an “unusual event” at the Oconee Nuclear Power Station early Saturday morning.

Scott Andreson, a Duke Energy spokesperson, said operators were alerted to the “unusual event” just before 4 a.m. at Unit 2 of the power plant and called for offsite (fire) assistance.

Unit 2 was safely shut down and there was never any threat to the public, he said. Units 1 and 3 were not impacted by the fire.

So, what exactly is an “unusual event?”

“An Unusual Event is the lowest of four nuclear emergency classifications,” Duke Energy said in a release. “This classification describes a condition or event that is outside of normal plant operations, but poses no threat to public safety.”

Oconee County Emergency Services later said steam had melted paint on a pipe, creating smoke and causing alarms to go off — but there hadn’t actually been a fire.

Six Mile Fire Station and Keowee Springs Fire Station were the primary responders.

Officials said the event was contained to one room and the rad readings in the smoke release were registering zero.

No injuries were reported.

“This incident, which thankfully turned out to be relatively minor in nature, was a good opportunity for Pickens County to demonstrate our capabilities,” said County Administrator Ken Roper. “County Council has an ongoing goal of providing effective and efficient emergency response, and I am grateful to have folks like Keowee Springs and Six Mile Fire Stations on our side.”