BUCHANAN, N.Y. — The Indian Point 2 nuclear reactor will reopen late next month
in time for the summer’s peak energy season after a
longer-than-expected shutdown because of deteriorating bolts critical to
the plant’s safety.
But an anti-nuclear group opposes that reopening plan and has appealed to federal authorities.
In March, federal safety inspectors discovered more than 225 of 832 baffle bolts were degraded or cracking during an inspection of Unit 2 timed to coincide with an outage for refueling that takes place every two years.
The discovery and the bolts’ replacement added about two months to the scheduled reopening of the reactor, said spokesman Jerry Nappi for Indian Point’s Louisiana-based owner, Entergy. Indian Point’s second reactor, Unit 3, picked up the slack, providing electricity to some 1 million homes in Westchester County and New York City.
“Unit 3 has been at full power the entire time,” Nappi said.
Additionally, Entergy has moved up by two years the inspection of Unit 3 that was scheduled for 2019, he said.
On May 24, anti-nuclear group Friends of the Earth filed an emergency petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission demanding a shutdown of Unit 2 until the bolt issue was “fully diagnosed and fixed.”
Across the USA, only four other nuclear reactors were off line as of Friday, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
Clinton near Clinton, Ill., is operating at 73% of capacity. The
United States has 100 nuclear reactors in operation; several are located
in the same complexes.
The agency’s next quarterly report on Indian Point is due in July. But spokesman Neil Sheehan said the commission could issue a separate report on the bolts in coming months.
“We will independently review the company’s analyses on the condition at Indian Point 2 and possible implications for Indian Point 3 as well as bolt-replacement work to ensure safety,” Sheehan said. “The results of those reviews will be documented in an upcoming inspection report for the plant. We are also considering the need for generic communications to other plant owners on the subject.”
Earlier this month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said “the number of degraded baffle-former bolts was the largest seen to date at a U.S. reactor.’
The agency has not issued a decision on the Friends of the Earth petition.
Nappi said Unit 2’s reopening will help keep electricity rates down and spare the atmosphere carbon emissions.
“You want to be on line to meet the demand,” Nappi said. “Without Indian Point, rates are higher and pollution is greater because plants that burn fossil fuels are the replacements for Indian Point’s emission-free power.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for the shutdown of Indian Point, largely because of concerns for a safe evacuation should a nuclear mishap take place at the plant located some 30 miles north of New York City in the village of Buchanan, N.Y.
Meanwhile, Cuomo is pushing a slate of financial incentives to help several struggling upstate nuclear power plants remain open. He said the upstate plants are carbon-free alternatives that will act as a bridge to a point in the future when the state relies more heavily on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power
Follow Thomas C. Zambito on Twitter: @TomZambito
But an anti-nuclear group opposes that reopening plan and has appealed to federal authorities.
In March, federal safety inspectors discovered more than 225 of 832 baffle bolts were degraded or cracking during an inspection of Unit 2 timed to coincide with an outage for refueling that takes place every two years.
The discovery and the bolts’ replacement added about two months to the scheduled reopening of the reactor, said spokesman Jerry Nappi for Indian Point’s Louisiana-based owner, Entergy. Indian Point’s second reactor, Unit 3, picked up the slack, providing electricity to some 1 million homes in Westchester County and New York City.
“Unit 3 has been at full power the entire time,” Nappi said.
Additionally, Entergy has moved up by two years the inspection of Unit 3 that was scheduled for 2019, he said.
On May 24, anti-nuclear group Friends of the Earth filed an emergency petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission demanding a shutdown of Unit 2 until the bolt issue was “fully diagnosed and fixed.”
Across the USA, only four other nuclear reactors were off line as of Friday, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
- Comanche Peak 1 near Glen Rose, Texas
- Diablo Canyon 2 near Avila Beach, Calif.
- Salem 1 in Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J.
- Watts Bar 2 near Spring City, Tenn., where construction is not yet complete
The agency’s next quarterly report on Indian Point is due in July. But spokesman Neil Sheehan said the commission could issue a separate report on the bolts in coming months.
“We will independently review the company’s analyses on the condition at Indian Point 2 and possible implications for Indian Point 3 as well as bolt-replacement work to ensure safety,” Sheehan said. “The results of those reviews will be documented in an upcoming inspection report for the plant. We are also considering the need for generic communications to other plant owners on the subject.”
Earlier this month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said “the number of degraded baffle-former bolts was the largest seen to date at a U.S. reactor.’
The agency has not issued a decision on the Friends of the Earth petition.
Nappi said Unit 2’s reopening will help keep electricity rates down and spare the atmosphere carbon emissions.
“You want to be on line to meet the demand,” Nappi said. “Without Indian Point, rates are higher and pollution is greater because plants that burn fossil fuels are the replacements for Indian Point’s emission-free power.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for the shutdown of Indian Point, largely because of concerns for a safe evacuation should a nuclear mishap take place at the plant located some 30 miles north of New York City in the village of Buchanan, N.Y.
Meanwhile, Cuomo is pushing a slate of financial incentives to help several struggling upstate nuclear power plants remain open. He said the upstate plants are carbon-free alternatives that will act as a bridge to a point in the future when the state relies more heavily on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power
Follow Thomas C. Zambito on Twitter: @TomZambito
