The earthquake caused the US nuclear power plant to close

The seismic in Virginia caused a nuclear power plant near the epicenter to stop working, fuel rods that were immediately cooled by the standby power system as planned.

The Virginia Power Agency said both reactors at the North Anna power plant, about 30 km from the epicenter, were automatically disconnected immediately after the first tremors.

Amanda Reidelbach, a spokesman for the local emergency management agency, said steam came from the nuclear power plant, but did not cause radioactive emissions.

North Anna nuclear power plant is 30km from the epicenter. (Photo: ABC News)

David Heacock, in charge of nuclear safety at the power plant, said the 1.800MW power complex is now operating on emergency power and both reactors have been safely deactivated.

"Plants are designed to withstand seismic resistance , " he said. "There is no damage at the factory so far".

Repair teams are working to restore electricity to bring electricity into the factory before Tuesday local time (this morning in Hanoi). Seismic attacks occurred at noon, strong 5.9 Richter.

The company operating the power plant said the used fuel tank is now safe. The factory's diesel-powered generators can be used for 30 days, and the company can also bring additional generators if needed.

In Japan in March, the nuclear crisis occurred because the generators were damaged by tsunamis, unable to pump cooling water to the fuel rods in the furnace. The melting of fuel rods causes radioactive dispersal to the environment.

At least 12 nuclear power plants in 5 states reported "abnormal status" , the lowest level in emergency alert scales. The factory is still operating while safety personnel go to inspect.