Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station Unit 1 automatically shut down at 9:15 a.m. today after a steam valve closed unexpectedly during testing. For those that don't know, this nuclear facility is located seven miles northeast of Oswego and 50 miles north of Syracuse.  

Syracuse.com reports that owner Exelon Corp wants to stress to the public that the shutdown does not present any risk to public health or safety.

Technicians will repair the valve and perform comprehensive tests before returning the 620-megawatt reactor to service. On April 14, Unit 1 returned to service after a planned month-long outage for refueling and maintenance. Nine Mile Point Unit 2 continues to operate at full power.

Currently there are 104 nuclear reactors in the United States. The Natural Resources Defense Council points out If one of them lost both primary and backup power for even a matter of hours, it could lead to a meltdown. That would also lead to an airborne radioactive plume. What's happening in Oswego currently will not lead to this.

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