FBI Closes Probe of Nuke Plant Vandalism | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Monday November 12, 2007 10:01 PM

MIAMI (AP) – A tiny hole in a pipe at a nuclear power plant led to a big investigation over sabotage fears, but authorities have closed the case as an unsolved act of vandalism, the FBI said Monday.

“No one is being charged unless more evidence becomes available,” FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said.

An eighth-of-an-inch hole was discovered in March 2006 in a pipe that is part of the cooling system at the Turkey Point power plant, operated by Florida Power & Light. The FBI dispatched 50 agents to the sprawling plant to interview more than 700 utility workers. Florida Power offered a $100,000 reward for information about the culprit.

An out-of-state contractor hired to do routine maintenance is suspected of drilling the hole, Orihuela said. Agents found no evidence to indicate sabotage, though they called it vandalism.