Agence France-Presse,
MOSCOW: A reactor at a nuclear power plant 81 kilometres (50 miles) from Saint Petersburg in northwest Russia closed down automatically Monday following a malfunction, the authorities there said.
They said that the shutdown at the Leningradskaya plant west of the city did not lead to any rise in radioactivity levels in the region.
“The power of the number 2 reactor was cut to zero and it was disconnected from the network at 12:47 pm (0847 GMT) by the automatic shutdown system,” the plant said in a statement on its website.
“The reason for the malfunction is currently being looked at and when it is eliminated the reactor will be reconnected to the network in respect of regulations and its normal power reestablished,” it added.
“Radioactivity in the area around the Leningradskaya nuclear reactor and in the neighbourhood of the town of Sosnovy Bor is not different from normal levels.”
Reactors 1, 3 and 4 are operating and their combined output is 2,200 megawatts, the statement said.
