Friday, March 21, 2008; Posted: 01:25 AM
The electric utility, which is based in Raleigh, will test the sirens between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. in full-volume blasts lasting three minutes.
The test will be heard throughout the Shearon Harris Emergency Planning Zone, which extends 10 miles around the plant in southwestern Wake County.
The new sirens, installed at a cost of $2.5 million, are equipped with backup battery power that will allow the horns to operate for as long as four days during a power outage.
The sirens are positioned throughout the emergency zone, which covers parts of Wake, Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties, and includes Jordan Lake and Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Moncure and New Hill. About 74,000 people live within the zone, more than quadruple the total when the plant began operating 21 years ago.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires the emergency zone as a way to protect the public in the event of a nuclear emergency. Preparedness officials have to install a public warning system and develop an evacuation plan for clearing out the area in case of a radioactive release.
The sirens, mounted on 50-foot poles, are a conspicuous sign of the nearby nuclear plant. The function of the sirens is to warn residents of an accident at the nuclear plant and foster public confidence in the effectiveness of the nuclear emergency preparedness system.
The existing sirens, which have no battery backup power, have experienced systemwide failures three times in the past 18 months. The most recent was in January.
If the new sirens and battery backup system perform as expected, the company will switch from the old sirens to the new warning system April 1. Ten of the new sirens are solar-powered.
During the test, the sirens will sound at full volume for three minutes, blasting as many as three times, with a 10-minute interval between blasts.
During an emergency, the sirens would be sounded in four blasts lasting three minutes, with a one-minute interval between blasts. The pattern would be repeated as often as it is deemed necessary.
At full volume, the sirens register 128 decibels from 100 feet away, comparable to the roar of a jet airplane taking off.
To hear a full-volume siren test, go to www.progress-energy.com/harris and scroll down to link for "sample of a full-volume test."
john.murawski@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8932
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