Hanford nuclear plant outage extended again
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) -- A delay in replacing a key piece of equipment at the nuclear plant on the Hanford nuclear reservation has extended its outage into September.
The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/pMeu1L ) that's three months later than planned and could cost more than $60 million in lost power production.
The Columbia Generating Station shut down April 6 for a planned 80-day outage for refueling and to replace the condenser, which turns steam back into water. The outage was extended in July.
Energy Northwest sells the plant's electricity through the Bonneville Power Administration. The 26-year-old nuclear plant accounts for about 3 percent of region's power supply.
The Energy Department's John Dobken told KONA most of the 1,800 workers involved in the refueling part of the work have already left the Hanford site.
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Information from: Tri-City Herald, http://www.tri-cityherald.com
