US nuclear output falls after Indian Point 2 in New York shuts

By Colin McClelland BLOOMBERG NEWS

 U.S. nuclear-power production fell for the first time this week after Entergy Corp.’s Indian Point Unit 2 in New York shut down and output slowed at FirstEnergy Corp.’s Perry reactor and Energy Northwest’s Columbia plant.

Generation declined 547 megawatts, or 0.6 percent, from yesterday to 85,342 megawatts, or 84 percent of capacity, according to filings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and data compiled by Bloomberg. Output was 1.7 percent below a year ago with 9 of 104 reactors shut.

Entergy’s Indian Point 2 reactor was at 1 percent of capacity today, according to the NRC. The unit automatically halted yesterday, and crews were investigating the main electrical generator as the “probable” cause, Jerry Nappi, a spokesman based at the plant, said then in an e-mailed statement. Nappi didn’t immediately reply to a call and e-mail seeking comment today.

The 1,020-megawatt unit on the Hudson River 27 miles (43 kilometers) north of New York City was at full power before it shut down at about 6 a.m. local time, he said yesterday. The 1,025-megawatt Unit 3 is operating at full capacity.

FirstEnergy lowered output from the 1,261-megawatt Perry nuclear reactor in Ohio to 60 percent of capacity from 100 percent to perform fuel integrity testing, quarterly turbine valve testing and a control rod pattern adjustment to improve reactor core performance, Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman at FirstEnergy based in Akron, Ohio, said in an e-mail today.

“The plant is expected to return to 100 percent power this weekend following the work,” Young said. The reactor is located on Lake Erie about 35 miles northeast of Cleveland.


Columbia Salmon

Energy Northwest reduced production by the 1,190-megawatt Columbia reactor, 10 miles north of Richland, Washington, to 85 percent of capacity from 100 percent. The unit periodically reduces output at the request of the Bonneville Power Administration because of high water levels on the Columbia River, according to John Dobken, a spokesman based at the plant.

Hydroelectric plant operators on the river try to avoid spilling water over their dams because that can increase nitrogen levels in the water and harm salmon, Dobken said. Instead, operators run the water through their power-generating turbines, which means less output is needed from the nuclear plant to meet demand, Dobken said.

Saint Lucie

NextEra Energy Inc. increased power from the 839-megawatt Saint Lucie 1 reactor in Florida to 48 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut June 3 after running at full output the day before.

Victoria Ingalls and Doug Andrews, company spokesmen at the plant 45 miles north of Palm Beach, said yesterday they were consulting with management before commenting.

Dominion Resources Inc. boosted output by the 799-megawatt Surry 1 reactor in Virginia to 30 percent of capacity from 1 percent. The unit shut May 7 until yesterday for refueling, Rick Zuercher, a company spokesman based near Richmond, said by e- mail at the time. The twin Unit 2 at the plant 17 miles northwest of Newport News is operating at full capacity.

Constellation Nuclear Energy Group LLC increased generation at the 1,140-megawatt Nine Mile Point 2 reactor in New York to 19 percent of capacity from 3 percent. The unit shut for refueling and maintenance from April 9 to June 5.

The 621-megawatt Unit 1 is at full power at the site 6 miles northeast of Oswego. Constellation Nuclear Energy is a joint venture of Constellation Energy Group Inc. and Electricite de France SA.

Susquehanna Boost

PPL Corp. raised power at 1,149-megawatt Susquehanna 1 reactor in Pennsylvania to 18 percent of capacity from 4 percent. The unit started June 5 after cracked turbine blades were found during a refueling and maintenance stoppage that began March 31, according to Joe Scopelliti, a company spokesman at the site.

The flaw, found on turbine blades for both units last year, prompted PPL to shut the 1,140-megawatt Susquehanna 2 on May 31 to inspect its turbine for similar wear, Scopelliti said. An engineering review hasn’t determined the cause of the cracking at the plant 50 miles northwest of Allentown, he said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority boosted the Browns Ferry 3 reactor in Alabama to 75 percent of capacity from 68 percent. The unit shut May 30 to June 3 after an electrical fault, according to the NRC.

Browns Ferry

Browns Ferry 1, which has a capacity of 1,065 megawatts, and Unit 2, with a capacity of 1,104, are at full power at the plant 84 miles north of Birmingham near the Tennessee line.

Progress Energy Inc. started the 900-megawatt Harris reactor in North Carolina after a refueling and maintenance halt that began April 20. The unit is at 6 percent of capacity.

Duke Energy Corp. is operating the 846-megawatt Oconee 3 reactor in South Carolina at 3 percent of capacity after planned refueling and maintenance that began April 13. The work included the replacement of an analogue reactor protection system with a digital version, Sandra Magee, a spokeswoman based at the plant, said then in a telephone interview.

Oconee 1 and 2, which also have capacities of 846 megawatts, are running at full power at the site about 30 miles west of Greenville.

Entergy’s Grand Gulf plant in Mississippi is operating at 1 percent of capacity. The 1,297-megawatt unit, located 25 miles southwest of Vicksburg, shut Feb. 19 for refueling and a fire was extinguished April 11 in the A main condenser.

Reactor maintenance shutdowns, usually undertaken in the U.S. spring or fall when energy use is lowest, can increase consumption of natural gas and coal to generate electricity. The average refueling down time was 43 days in 2011, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.

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