Nuclear power-plant operators are monitoring forecasts for the rising waters of the Mississippi River and preparing to shut plants later in the month if flooding threatens access to sites or operation of plant safety systems, a regulator said on Friday.

High water is not expected to disrupt operations at nuclear plants located along rivers in the Midwest, but Entergy Corp (ETR.N: Quote) officials are preparing for high water at three reactor sites along the Mississippi River from near Vicksburg, Mississippi, to New Orleans, a company spokesman said.

Entergy's 1,268-megawatt Grand Gulf nuclear station in Claiborne County, Mississippi, may be the most vulnerable, officials said, based on government forecasts for the river to reach a high of 57.5 feet (17.5 meters) on May 20, some 14 feet above flood stage.

"We do not expect the plant to shut down if the flooding is not above current projections," said Victor Dricks, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regional office near Dallas. More...