Boston Marathon Explosions Spark Heightened Awareness at Oyster Creek

Security measures have been enhanced at Oyster Creek Generating Station following the explosions at the Boston Marathon that claimed the lives of three and wounded more than 170 people.

“We are at a heightened state of security awareness,” spokesperson Suzanne D’Ambrosio said, adding that the measures taken are not unusual for public facilities. “Our security team stands at the ready as they do 24/7/365 to protect the plant, the public and our employees.”

D’Ambrosio could not say what the increased security includes or how long it will last.

“We stay in close contact with law enforcement officials and we’re closely tied to what’s going on,” she said.

Janet Tauro, an anti-nuclear advocate for Grandmothers, Mothers and More for Energy Safety and the New Jersey Environmental Federation, said she’s “glad” to hear the plant’s staff is on a heightened alert.

“We’ve always been confident in the staff. We have nothing but respect for the workforce,” she said. “Our problem is with the structure itself. We shouldn’t have an energy source where you have to have a heightened alert…We shouldn’t have a nuclear plant like Oyster Creek operating.”

The Forked River-based power plant has a 42-siren system that would go off within a 10-mile radius in an emergency. A new system is expected to be installed by June, as 33 of the 42 sirens were inoperable during Hurricane Sandy.

The sirens sounding is not a signal to evacuate but to tune to the local emergency alert radio and television stations. If a siren fails to activate, local police and firefighters would alert residents using mobile public address systems or door-to-door notifications.

Following the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, with concerns of retaliation looming, Oyster Creek also increased security measures in which workers were “highly professional and alert.”

For the 10 years following the September 11 attacks, Exelon Corporation, the owner and operator of Oyster Creek, put $400 million towards physical security upgrades to its 10 power plants.

Oyster Creek has installed outer vehicle barriers, bullet-resistant enclosures, vehicle checkpoints, new alarms to fences, additional surveillance and detection systems and concentric barriers in the plant amongst other enhancements.

Oyster Creek is the oldest operating nuclear plant in the country with a 636-megawatt boiling water reactor capable of running 600,000 homes.