Unit I of the Almaraz nuclear plant shuts down automatically after an electrical incident

Unit I of the Almaraz nuclear power plant (Cáceres) shut down automatically while operating at full power, an event reported on Thursday, November 5 to the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), Spain's nuclear regulator, according to Digital Extremadura, citing the regulator's report.

According to that report, the main turbine stopped running after an alternator protection was triggered. The same outlet adds that initial checks point to the activation of an electrical protection on the main transformer, the causes of which are being investigated.

The CSN has rated the event at level 0 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), which corresponds to events with no nuclear safety significance, and confirms that the protection systems worked correctly and that there were no consequences for people, the facility or the environment, according to the same outlet.

The incident affects only the unit I reactor; unit II remains at 100% power, according to information released by the plant. No date has been given for when unit I will restart.

Developing story: the CSN note and a statement from the plant could not be opened; the exact time of the shutdown and the component that caused it (the article mentions both the alternator and the main transformer) remain to be confirmed.