The reactor at the River Bend nuclear plant in Louisiana shut down automatically after an issue in the turbine caused safety systems to trip.
According to an event notification report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the shutdown caused the reactor protection system to activate, and the reactor's water level briefly dropped. Per the system's design, containment isolation valves in the boiling water reactor's suppression pool cooling system closed. Reactor core isolation cooling operated manually for about 1 minute.
The shutdown from 100 percent power was uncomplicated, according to the NRC. Plant operators are conducting an investigation into the reactor trip, which the report indicated was caused by a loss speed sensor in the turbine.
Entergy operates River Bend, near Baton Rouge, La. The plant uses a single General Electric boiling water reactor with Mark III containment at the plant generating 989 megawatts, according to the NRC.