Faulty wire at Maine Yankee cut by accident, probe finds

WISCASSET — An investigation into a severed electrical wire at the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant has concluded that the wire was accidentally cut by a plant worker, plant officials announced Friday.

The wire to a pump in the emergency core cooling system was cut sometime between 1990 and 1992 after it was improperly labeled as a spare wire, said Charles Frizzle, president and chief executive officer of Maine Yankee.

The discovery of the severed wire forced plant operators to extend a shutdown at Maine’s only nuclear power plant last month.

The severed electrical cable was needed to turn on one of three high-pressure coolant pumps that supply water to the reactor in the event of a meltdown. It is designed to start automatically under certain circumstances, but would not have because of the cut wire.

But Frizzle said the incident did not cause a major safety problem because the pump can be started manually and is supported by a backup pump.

Frizzle said there is no evidence that cutting the wire was an act of sabotage.