Indian Point Unit 2 Begins Last Refueling, Maintenance Outage
Control room operators shut down the nuclear power plant Monday to begin the 23rd and final scheduled outage since 1974.
CORTLANDT, NY — Control room operators shut down Indian Point Energy Center's Unit 2 nuclear power plant Monday morning to begin the 23rd and final scheduled refueling and maintenance outage for the generating unit, which has helped power New York City and the lower Hudson Valley since 1974.
Entergy is investing more than $75 million in the plant during the outage, officials said, reinforcing the company's commitment to safe, secure and reliable operations through the unit's permanent shutdown by April 30, 2020.
Unit 2 was online generating electricity more than 96 percent of the time since its prior refueling outage concluded in June 2016. Unit 3, which remains in service at full power, will conduct its final refueling outage next spring before shutting down permanently by April 30, 2021.
"We remain dedicated to operational excellence at Indian Point and are investing millions of dollars to ensure the facility's continued safe, secure and reliable operation until permanently closing," said Tony Vitale, site vice president and Entergy's top official at Indian Point. "During the next several weeks, approximately 2,000 workers will perform equipment maintenance, comprehensive safety inspections and refuel the reactor so we can continue to meet our rigorous operational safety standards and provide clean, reliable power to millions of New Yorkers."
About 1,000 additional skilled contract workers are supplementing the nearly 1,000 full-time Entergy facility employees during the outage to complete the refueling and other important maintenance projects, including:
Entergy is investing more than $75 million in the plant during the outage, officials said, reinforcing the company's commitment to safe, secure and reliable operations through the unit's permanent shutdown by April 30, 2020.
Unit 2 was online generating electricity more than 96 percent of the time since its prior refueling outage concluded in June 2016. Unit 3, which remains in service at full power, will conduct its final refueling outage next spring before shutting down permanently by April 30, 2021.
"We remain dedicated to operational excellence at Indian Point and are investing millions of dollars to ensure the facility's continued safe, secure and reliable operation until permanently closing," said Tony Vitale, site vice president and Entergy's top official at Indian Point. "During the next several weeks, approximately 2,000 workers will perform equipment maintenance, comprehensive safety inspections and refuel the reactor so we can continue to meet our rigorous operational safety standards and provide clean, reliable power to millions of New Yorkers."
About 1,000 additional skilled contract workers are supplementing the nearly 1,000 full-time Entergy facility employees during the outage to complete the refueling and other important maintenance projects, including:
- comprehensive inspections of baffle bolts on a removable liner inside the reactor
- reactor coolant pump seal replacement
- fuel oil storage tank repair for one of the unit's three emergency diesel generators
- steam generator inspection
- low-pressure turbine blade inspection
Since purchasing the facility more than 15 years ago, Entergy has invested more than $1.3 billion in safety and reliability improvements to ensure delivery of hundreds of millions of megawatt hours of emissions-free power to the region. Entergy also continues to invest in the local communities through philanthropic support, volunteerism and environmental stewardship. During the past few years, the company has donated millions of dollars in resources to create and sustain healthy, vibrant communities in the region, company officials said.
In January 2017, Entergy announced its plan for the shutdown of Indian Point Energy Center as part of a settlement with New York State. In exchange, New York State agreed to drop its legal challenges and support renewal of the operating licenses for the facility. Entergy continues to work closely with community groups and government officials to ensure the safe and orderly shutdown of Indian Point Energy Center.
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