Powerful tides damaged a safety device designed to keep federally protected turtles out of a cooling canal at a Duke Energy nuclear plant in Brunswick, leading to 14 turtle deaths.
Because the green sea turtle fatalities exceeded the limits set by the plant’s Endangered Species Act permit, the plant must now submit to a review by federal authorities.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says two Kemp's ridley sea turtles and 12 green sea turtles were killed.
The federal permit from NOAA grants exemptions for six loggerhead, two Kemp’s ridley, three green, and one hawksbill or leatherback turtle.
The plant is also permitted to capture and re-release up to 50 turtles of any species, so long as they are not injured.
Duke Energy officials say the safety screens were damaged in April during King Tides. According to a NOAA, high winds also played a role in damaging the screens.
According to Duke, the plant has added measures to monitor for similar tidal or weather events in the future.
