An Alert was declared at the Farley Nuclear Plant today at 5:43 p.m. CT because ammonia was detected within a vital area in Unit 1.

An Alert means an event has occurred that could reduce the plant’s level of safety. There is no danger to the public. County and state officials will be involved and prepared for any necessary response. There is no need to take any actions unless directed to by state and local officials.

Plant status:

Plant radiological monitoring equipment indicates no radioactive release.

There are no injuries to employees.

Unit 1 is in a planned refueling outage. Unit 2 is operating at 100 percent power.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as well as state and local agencies have been notified of the declaration.

Trained personnel have responded and are coordinating with federal, state and local officials to address the situation.

Alabama Power’s top priority is the safety of the public and our employees. We are committed to the safe operation of our nuclear generating facility.

Additional details will be provided as soon as they become available.

Public information

Emergency management officials will activate sirens located throughout the plant’s 10-mile emergency planning zone if needed. Residents should stay tuned to their radio and television for the latest information. For details about Southern Nuclear’s emergency response plan, local residents can refer to their Plant Farley 2016 emergency calendar. The calendar is also available at http://www.southerncompany.com/about-us/our-business/southern-nuclear/pdfs/Emergency_Info_Farley.pdf

Plant Farley, a two-unit electric generating plant located near Dothan, Alabama, is operated by Southern Nuclear and owned by Alabama Power Company.

U.S. Nuclear plants are built using multiple safety barriers and redundant, physically separated safety systems to protect the health and the safety of the public even under severe circumstances like earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes.