Insulation failure caused the transformer to short circuit at Indian Point 3, which lead to the fire.
Insulation failure is being blamed for the transformer fire that broke out last month at a nuclear power plant 30 miles north of New York City.
Plant owner Entergy Nuclearsaid Tuesday the May 9 failure caused the transformer to short circuit at Indian Point 3, which lead to the fire. An Entergy spokesperson said the fire posed no threat to public safety.
The company also said water and foam used to extinguish the fire mixed with oil and exceeded the capacity of the moat system, causing about 3,000 gallons of fluid to leak into the Hudson River.
The transformer has been replaced and the reactor has since returned to service.
The other reactor on the site was unaffected. Together the reactors generate about a quarter of the power used in New York City and Westchester County.
The facility is about 30 miles north of midtown Manhattan.
Photo of sheen on #HudsonRiver near Verplanck, a day after transformer fire at #IndianPoint http://t.co/5kfB6z8sVP pic.twitter.com/53cqofklCh
— Riverkeeper (@riverkeeper) May 10, 2015
