Salem power plant officials disagree with state report

SALEM ? Dominion Resources Corp., the Virginia-based parent company to the Salem Harbor power station, disagrees with a state report that claims an explosion killing three workers on Nov. 6, 2007 was caused by a defective boiler pipe weld.The state Department of Public Safety (DPS) last week issued its findings relative to the explosion of the boiler at the electricity-generating facility.The blast led to the death of three plant workers ? Mark Mansfield, 41, of Peabody; Phillip Robinson, 56, of Beverly; and Matthew Indeglia, 20, of Lawrence and Townsend.According to the report, “the primary cause of the failure leading to the fatal explosion was a defective weld in combination with significant external corrosion of the tubes in an area of the boiler known as the dead air space. This caused a tube to spray steam and water onto the adjacent tubes.The collateral damage resulted in the catastrophic failure, which sent steam, water and ash, at approximately 600 degrees Fahrenheit, into the immediate area below the boiler.”As a result of the findings, DPS is pursuing disciplinary actions against Dominion’s engineer-in charge and the insurance inspector.”We’re disappointed with the report and believe that it does not reflect the evidence,” said Dominion spokesman Jim Norvelle.”While we will continue to review the report and consider our options to respond, we strongly disagree with any suggestion that Dominion or our dedicated employees at Salem Harbor did not maintain a safe work environment or failed to operate and maintain our power generating facilities properly.”