Spanish authorities closed down a nuclear power plant after a fire in an electrical generator, the Spanish Nuclear Safety Authority (CSN) said. The fire at the Vandellos II complex near Tarragona was put out and no injuries or environmental damage was reported, said the CSN.
The Greenpeace environment group said however that a large column of smoke had been seen coming from the complex turbine room. The alarm was raised at 8:49am (0649 GMT) and was put out less than two hours later, according to a CSN statement.
"All of the installation's safety systems operated as expected," said the authority, adding "the power plant is not stopped and stable." The fire "had no impact on workers or the environment." Vandellos II is jointly run by the Spanish energy groups Endesa and Iberdrola. It was built in 1980 and has a permit to run until 2010.