An unplanned shutdown of the Salem 1 nuclear generating facility Wednesday was the third for the PSEG-operated plant in Lower Alloway Township, N.J., in less than a month.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations call for stepped-up oversight for reactors that have three unplanned shutdowns within a nine-month period. The latest incident occurred when the protection system for the main generator activated after detecting an unexpected voltage change. NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the cause of the shutdown is still under investigation but added shortly after that the plant was a “in a safe condition.”
Salem 1 tripped offline April 8 after the breakdown of a condensate pump. It also tripped April 13 due to a faulty generator protection relay, a switch that protects the generator from changes in voltage. Salem 1 was licensed in 1976. Salem Unit 2 is offline for refueling.
More: The News Journal; NJ.com
Limerick Station Gets Safe Rating from NRC
Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station got a thumbs-up from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in its 2013 annual review. The results mean the station will receive a “normal” level of oversight by NRC inspectors – which still means 5,440 hours of inspection per year.
“We take very seriously the task of stepping back on a regular basis to size up plant performance,” said Bill Dean, NRC’s Region 1 administrator. “Limerick, by virtue of its performance in 2013, will receive our routine — though still substantial — battery of inspections,” Dean said.
More: Mainline Media News
Energy Future Holdings Files For Bankruptcy
Energy Future Holdings Corp., the company that emerged from a leveraged buyout of Texas giant TXU, has filed for bankruptcy after failing to find funding for $40 billion in debt.
The company filed for Chapter 11 protection, saying it has reached deals with some of its largest creditors and that it aims to emerge from protection with 11 months. Investors took TXU private in 2007 with $32 billion in cash and $13 billion in assumed debt. But a series of bad positions, including being on the wrong side of plunging natural gas prices, doomed the company.
More: The Wall Street Journal
ComEd Rates Shoot Up 20% On New Supply Charges
Rates for Commonwealth Edison residential customers will go up 20% starting in June, as bills start to reflect a new charge for supply during peak-demand hours. The new energy charge of 7.596 cents per KWh compares to the 5.52 cents residential customers now pay.
The charge reflects prices secured during a power-generator auction held last month by the Illinois Power Agency. Those prices, in turn, reflected higher-than-usual future winter costs, based in part on this past winter’s experience. Different classes of residential customers, such as apartment or condo residents, or single-family homes, may pay slightly different rates. ComEd executives have said the energy-price increase will boost the average monthly bill to about $82.
More: Crain’s Chicago Business
FirstEnergy Fixes Flaw in Beaver Valley Reactor
A flaw around a tube in the reactor’s vessel head at FirstEnergy’s Beaver Valley Unit 2 is being fixed with a welded patch, according to the company and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The microscopic flaw was found during the unit’s refueling procedure. An NRC spokesman said the flaw was not a safety threat, but could have grown into one if not addressed.
The reactor pressure head is the original, dating back to 1977. It is scheduled to be replaced in 2017, according to company officials.
More: Pittsburgh Tribune
Dominion Buys Two Solar Projects in Tennessee
Dominion Resources has added to its growing solar portfolio by buying two solar projects in Tennessee’s McNairy County, near the town of Selmer. The two fixed-tilt photovoltaic (PV) plants, named Mulberry Farm and Selmer Farm, will generate 16 MW when completed. The projects, which are being developed by Chapel Hill, N.C.-based Strata Solar LLC, will sell its output to the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Dominion has 41 MW of solar operating in Connecticut, Georgia and Indiana and 139 MW under construction in California.
More: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dominion Considering License Extensions for Nuke Plants
Dominion Resources is considering seeking a second 20-year license extension for each of its six nuclear units in Virginia and Connecticut. The six already received 20-year extensions atop their original 40-year operating licenses. This would extend their service lives to 80 years. Without the extensions, the plants’ licenses would expire between 2032 and 2045.
“We believe it is possible to relicense these units for another 20 years of safe operations,” said Rick Zuercher, a Dominion spokesperson. The average age of the 100 operating U.S. nuclear plants is 34.7 years, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Scott Burnell.
Dominion’s four reactors in Virginia produce 42% of the electricity used by Dominion Virginia Power’s nearly 2.4 million customers. The company will need approval from both the NRC and the state Corporation Commission for the extensions in Virginia.
More: Richmond Times-Dispatch