The HB Robinson Nuclear Power Plant, owned by Progress Energy, had to shut down Friday due to a control problem with a turbine at the plant.
Spokesman Andy Cole said the turbine is not in the same part of the plant as the nuclear reactor, but the reactor had to be shut down as a precaution.
The exact nature of the problem is not known at this time.
The incident was reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a matter of procedure. The agency is notified anytime there's a shutdown at the plant.
Once the problem with the turbine is identified, the company will come up with a plan to repair it. Then they have to create and execute a plan to bring the plant back on line.
Cole says that could take a day or it could take several days.
In March, the HB Robinson Nuclear Power Plant went into an automatic shutdown following two unrelated fires. It took three months to bring the plant back on line because of the amount of testing and other work involved.
