Employee error to blame for power plant explosion

ATLANTA (AP) - Employee errors led to an explosion that rocked Plant Bowen in northwest Georgia, according to a Georgia Power official.

Georgia Power spokesman Mark Williams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday that that an internal investigation revealed employees at the coal-fired plant near Cartersville failed to comply with procedures and didn't follow communications protocols. The explosion happened as workers were shutting down a unit for maintenance.

Williams didn't elaborate on which specific protocols were breached, but says that led to the plant having a combustible mix of hydrogen and air in a generator.

The early April explosion left three people injured and prompted an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The federal investigation is not yet complete and no disciplinary action has been taken.

"We are now doing an operational and cultural assessment at Plant Bowen," Williams said. "Operations, safety and maintenance procedures and processes all will be assessed."

Two of the four units at Plant Bowen are producing electricity. Units 1 and 2 remain closed.

Georgia Power recorded no safety issues at Plant Bowen between 2007 and 2010. There were no major violations recorded at the power plant since that time, Williams said.

Georgia Power's parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co., has brought in a team to review the incident, enhance safety measures and apply those new procedures at all of the natural gas, coal and nuclear plants across its territory.

The team includes non-company workers and employees from Southern's ``nuclear safety'' division, considered to have the most stringent operational and safety requirements.

"We're going to assess what happened and enhance our safety procedures as necessary," Williams said.

The explosion caused significant damage to the control room for Units 1 and 2. It also caused significant damage to the switchyard, the hub where electricity is converted into the proper voltage before it is transported onto the grid.

OSHA is still working on the investigation and has not released any findings. The agency has up to six months to complete an investigation and determine whether any standards were violated.

"It's something that we take seriously," said Georgia Public Service Commission Chairman Chuck Eaton, who toured the damaged plant recently.

The PSC sets utility rates and is not involved directly in safety issues.