Fermi Nuclear Plant Is Riddled With Coronavirus!!!

This is the first time a virus has disrupted the operation of a nuclear plant. This is a virus the world has never never seen before and it is killing millions of people world wide. The virus has killed 69,079 people in the USA. The NRC should send a big team to the plant to investigate the infections at the plant as this is a first time experience for a nuclear.  I would be mostly interested with how the coronavirus effected the nuclear operation department in the plants. 

Virus puts Fermi 2 refueling outage on hold

TOM HENRY
The Blade
thenry@theblade.com


MAY 4, 2020
7:26 PM

NEWPORT, Mich. — DTE Energy said it instituted “an extended safety stand down” at its Fermi 2 nuclear plant in northern Monroe County over the weekend because of the coronavirus outbreak there, one which will likely keep the plant idle much longer than expected and add to its operating expenses.

The plant was in the midst of its latest refueling and maintenance outage, which began March 21.

The industry standard for completing them has been a month in recent years. The safety stand down began Friday. It is unknown how many of the thousand or so DTE workers and specialized contractors are being paid to stay at area homes and motels until the stand down is lifted. The utility was able to resume some work on Monday, according to a statement issued by Stephen Tait, DTE spokesman.

Refueling and maintenance outages are among the busiest times at a nuclear plants. They happen on average once every 18 to 24 months, depending on the type of uranium in a nuclear plant’s reactor. Hundreds of tasks that can’t be done while the plants are operating are performing while the facilities are taken offline to be refueled. Each refueling consists of replacing a third of the reactor core with fresh steel-cladded, uranium-filled fuel assembles. 

DTE confirmed in early April that it had seen an unspecified number of coronavirus cases among workers assigned to perform tasks, but said it was able to continue moving forward by taking extra precautions.

Now, much of the work has been suspended until test results are completed on all personnel. Workers have agreed to do antibody testing, which requires a finger-prick blood sample, and viral testing, which requires a nasal swab, according to the company statement.

“Crews who maintain the facility in its current idled state remained on the job through the weekend to ensure the safety of the plant,” DTE’s statement reads. “The safety stand down allowed the site to conduct newly available novel coronavirus testing for regular and contractor employees at the facility.”...