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Valve Failure At LaSalle County Nuclear Plant Is Under Investigation

Exelon Generation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special investigation of a valve failure at the LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station. 

When the plant shut down its Unit 2 in February for refueling, workers noticed a valve in the High Pressure Core Spray system failed to open as designed. This system provides cooling water to the reactor in abnormal operating conditions. Employees fixed the valve and reported the issue to federal authorities. 

The valve didn't cause any accidents, the Ottawa Times reports. However, NRC officials say they want to better understand what caused the failure and find out whether other power plants using the same valve design could suffer the same problem. 

A spokesman for Exelon, owner of the power plant, says they're looking forward to demonstrating how their workers' "response was effective to ensure safety."