nuclear-news

USA’s heatwave contributes to nuclear power plant shutdowns

Limerick among four nuclear power reactors shut down Wednesday Leigh Valley Morning Call, 18 July Several nuclear plants on the U.S. East Coast, including Exelon’s Limerick nuclear plant, were shut down early Wednesday and New York’s Consolidated Edison power company reduced the voltage in parts of Manhattan as the obsessive heat wave stressed the region’s power system…..

Temperatures in New York City — the biggest metropolitan region in the United States — hit 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius) on Monday, 96 F on Tuesday, and were expected to reach 96 F again on Wednesday before thunderstorms Wednesday night were likely to drive temperatures back to near-normal levels in the 80s F on Thursday, according to AccuWeather.com.

In New York, Wednesday’s voltage reduction was the second for Con
Edison during this week’s heat wave, aimed at easing the load on the
grid to allow workers to fix heat-stressed equipment in the affected
neighborhoods…..
REACTORS DOWN

A unit at Exelon’s Limerick nuclear plant in Pennsylvania shut early
Wednesday, according to power traders. Officials at the company and
theU.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioncould not confirm the Limerick
shutdown.

Constellation Nuclear Energy Group’s 630-megawatt Nine Mile Point 1
nuclear reactor in New York automatically shut on Tuesday due to high
neutron flux — meaning neutrons are not equally spread around the
reactor core. Power traders guessed it could have been a faulty sensor
and the unit could be back soon.

Constellation Nuclear is a venture between French power company
Electricite de France SA (EDF) and Chicago power companyExelon Corp.

Constellation Nuclear 855-MW took the Unit 1 at the Calvert Cliffs
nuclear plant in Maryland offline by early Wednesday due to a small
leak in an instrument line. The company said it had already fixed the
plant and was ramping up the unit.

North Carolina-based Duke Energy’s 846-MW Unit 1 at the Oconee nuclear
plant in South Carolina also shut by early Wednesday. Details about
the Oconee shutdown were not immediately available to comment.
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-limerick-nuclear-power-plant-shutdown-20120718,0,6103433.story

July 19, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general