Sirens to sound again today at Duke’s Harris nuclear plant. This time it’s a test.

Dave Hendrickson

July 10, 2024 at 10:15 a.m.·1 min read

Two days after a technical error led to warning sirens being sounded at Duke Energy’s Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant, a regularly scheduled test will lead to more sirens being sounded Wednesday morning.

On Monday, six sirens went off around the plant in southwestern Wake County during what was supposed to be a silent test, Duke said. A text message sent to thousands of nearby residents explained the warning was an error and that no accident had occurred.

Duke spokeswoman Anne McGovern said a regularly scheduled quarterly test will be conducted Wednesday morning, probably between 10 and 11 a.m. The sirens will sound for five to 30 seconds.

The sounds of sirens around a nuclear power plant are a signal that people should tune in to local radio or television for additional information and instructions, Duke said. Stations would broadcast details about what people near the plant need to do.

There are 85 sirens within 10 miles of the Harris nuclear plant in New Hill, which is about 20 miles southwest of Raleigh and 10 miles outside the Cary town limits. Duke has not yet said what caused the six sirens to sound on Monday.

Emergency sirens surrounding the plant, which has operated since 1987, were also accidentally sounded in 2018 in Cary and Apex.

In 2024, the plant’s emergency planning area includes eastern Chatham County and northeastern Lee County as well as the Wake County towns of Apex, Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina.

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