RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The only nuclear power plant in Washington is coming back on line after the longest outage in its 26-year history.
Energy Northwest says the reactor near Richland went critical on Monday and the Columbia Generating Station could be supplying power to the regional electrical grid on Saturday.
The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/nYRl0H) the electricity sold to utilities through the Bonneville Power Administration is worth more than $1 million a day.
The reactor shut down April 6 for refueling that is scheduled every two years and to replace the plant’s condenser, which turns steam back into water. The work was to be finished in June but the condenser replacement took longer than expected.
