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Built-in Security
The reactor and most radioactive materials in the Indian
Point plants are within a 3½ foot thick, leak-tight,
steel-reinforced concrete containment structure. The reinforcing
steel bars in the structures are 2½ to 3 inches in
diameter. The plants are among the strongest structures built
by man.
They are designed to safeguard plant personnel and the community
even under the most catastrophic scenarios.
Studies have shown that nuclear plant containment structures
can survive direct crashes of aircraft.
The design of U.S. nuclear power plants makes a nuclear accident
like the one at Chernobyl impossible.
Security Redundancies
 Indian
Point Energy Center has several layers of security.
 Access
to the controlled property is restricted to identified personnel
only. Roadways are controlled by multiple barricades.
Access to the plants themselves is restricted to employees
who have passed an in-depth security background check and
who undergo a lengthy entry and exit search process at our
security checkpoint. Within the plants, access to sensitive
areas is even further restricted.
The plants and property are monitored around the clock by
well-trained, armed security guards, both at guard stations
and in constant patrols. Double fencing with barbed wire at
various perimeters is equipped with television monitors.
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The Security Umbrella
A “first layer” of protection is now provided by
the federal government and its powerful security resources--including
military air cover and aircraft interdiction, the National
Guard patrolling on-site and the Coast Guard patrolling adjacent
waters.
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Enhancing Our
Security
Since 9/11, additional security measures at Indian Point
include increased surveillance activities, greater restrictions
on persons and deliveries entering the site, and further support
from and coordination with local, county, state and federal
law enforcement authorities.
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Comments by James
Kallstrom, director of the New York State Office
of Public Security
Excerpts from December 2001 press conference
to release findings of FBI report assessing the long-term
security needs at the Indian Point Energy Center.
“We worked with the operator itself (Entergy)
who was totally cooperative through the entire procedure.”
“The FBI has put together in excess
of 20 particular recommendations to the plant operators and
to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding what was found
as an already robust security situation, to make it more robust
in light of the events of Sept. 11. We did not do this lightly.
We spent a lot of time here.”
“I am very pleased to tell you that of
the 20 plus recommendations, the vast majority of those have
been accepted, the operator of this plant has continued and
implemented the majority of these recommendations and is in
the process of implementing many more.”
“The plant, the company that runs the
plants, I have found to be totally professional in everything
we saw there. They’ve stepped up to the plate and they
have commenced spending up to 3 million dollars to make these
changes to what was already a robust situation.”
“My feeling after this whole process is
that this is an extremely safe place. The citizens of this
county and the adjoining counties - yes, they should be concerned,
and I don’t mean to play light of a nuclear plant, but
they should have the peace of mind we have a great security
plan here.”
“I would just tell the citizens again
of Rockland, Westchester, Orange and elsewhere that everything
that needs to be done here is being done.”
“I am not here to represent nuclear power
- good or bad. I don’t care about that. What I care about
is the security of this plant and the ability of a terrorist
organization to take it over. I can tell you, it is robust
enough. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
“In the position I find myself in,
I don’t think a direct hit from a major commercial airplane
could penetrate the containment dome. The good news is that
this is one of the strongest constructed, designed containment
facilities in the United States, if not the world. I don’t
state that as a fact, I state that as an opinion.”
“There cannot be a nuclear explosion at
a power plant. That can’t happen. It’s not a nuclear
bomb. This can’t blow up like a Hiroshima bomb. It can’t
happen.”
“We’re convinced that there is
enough redundancy to the main issues of keeping the reactor
safe and the spent fuel pool safe, the chances of that being
a risk to this population is extremely low.”
“I believe they were safe here before.
There weren’t deficiencies, they are just building on
what I think was a pretty robust security plan, seriously.”
“We looked at the spent rod pool and
we read a lot about that. I think the chances of the spent
rod pool being a problem of the citizens of the community
is on the outer fringes of probability. The protection of
that water supply that cools those rods is extremely robust.
The reinforced concrete is extremely robust. Is this something
you should worry about? No-not in my view.”
“We came here and found the security to
be what I described from the beginning to be robust. If you
walked into any other part of our infrastructure, this is
geometrically more secure than you will find anywhere else.
Geometrically more. We added to that. We added to that with
a lot of very professional recommendations that have been
accepted so now we have robust plus. It is robust, it really
is. I think it is to the credit of the people who run this
place to not nit-pick us on these recommendations, they stepped
up to the plate, and they really did. They put their money
where their mouth is.”
“I think the security is top rate and
whether that is someone who has a federal badge or a private
badge, I am just concerned about the competence of that badge
and I think the competence up here right now is top shelf.”
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