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Leak at Fermi 2 Nuclear Plant Was From Non-Radioactive Source

Monday January 24, 11:33 pm ET

-- Company officials confirm there was no release of radioactive material

NEWPORT, Mich., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Detroit Edison officials confirmed this evening that a water leak which shut down the Fermi 2 nuclear plant Monday afternoon came from a non-radioactive cooling system, and said there was no release of radioactive water at the plant. The leak was stopped at 8:54 p.m. Monday.

Plant operators shut down the Fermi 2 reactor about 4:20 p.m. Monday after discovering that cooling water was leaking into the containment structure -- a steel and concrete structure that surrounds the steel reactor vessel. Plant personnel were able to pinpoint the source of the leak to non-radioactive water in a support cooling water system.

While there was never any indication of a radioactive release, the plant was shut down as a precautionary measure. Reactor coolant water was maintained at normal levels and plant safety systems functioned normally at all times.

There was no evacuation of plant personnel at any time. Plant personnel are investigating the cause of the leak and will develop a plan for repairing the system and returning the plant to operation.

The Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant is a 1,140-megawatt boiling water reactor owned and operated by Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving more than 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan.

Fermi 2 began commercial operation in 1988. Since that time, the plant has produced more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity for Detroit Edison customers. The plant employs about 900 workers and produces about 15 percent of the power generated by Detroit Edison power plants.

Detroit Edison is an investor-owned electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a subsidiary of DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE - News), a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Information about DTE Energy is available at http://www.dteenergy.com.

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