Nuke plant shuts down as owners talk of safety
PLYMOUTH — The timing of the latest shutdown of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was somewhat ironic.
Representatives from Entergy Corp., Pilgrim's owner-operator, were offering a previously scheduled presentation to officials and residents at Plymouth Town Hall on Tuesday night, touting the nuclear plant's safety features and outlining post-Fukushima federal requirements for future improvement.
2013 Pilgrim shutdowns and glitches
Jan. 10-17: Both recirculation pumps tripped, followed by a head drain valve leak.
- Jan. 20-24: Leaking safety valve.
- Feb. 8-16: Winter storm, 169 hours down.
- Aug. 22-26: All three main water pumps shut down.
- Sept. 8-17: Steam pipe leak.
- Oct. 14-21: Off-site power to plant unavailable because of NStar problem, which caused initial shutdown. Plant remained closed for two days after power restored because of faulty mechanical pressure regulator, which caused water levels in the nuclear reactor to become too high.
- Dec. 4: Leaky steam valve. Reactor still down.
OTHER INCIDENTS
- July 15: Loss of control room alarms. Plant stayed online. Alarms came back on with no explanation. Reason for malfunction never found.
- July 16: Heat wave warmed seawater temperatures, forcing the plant to power down to about 85 percent intermittently. Federal regulation requires seawater, used for cooling the reactor, to be no warmer than 75 degrees.
Sources: NRC website and Entergy press releases
Meanwhile, just a few miles down the road, Pilgrim operators were struggling to fix yet another of the many mechanical malfunctions that have plagued the power plant during the last several months.
This time, the problem involved a leak in a valve that provides steam to the main turbine. Ultimately, the nuclear reactor had to be shut down early Wednesday morning.
Pilgrim already leads the nation's fleet of 100 reactors for its number of shutdowns in the last year, according to data from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"After a thorough evaluation and investigation of the steam leak and repair options, a conservative decision was made last night to take the plant out of service to make the repair," Entergy spokesman James Sinclair said Wednesday. He did not indicate when it would restart.
Plymouth Town Manager Melissa Arrighi said Entergy representatives did not mention problems at the plant during their presentation Tuesday. Arrighi called the timing of that presentation and the plant breakdown "a little uncanny."
"Almost immediately after Entergy left the meeting, I received an email from Aaron Wallace, (Plymouth's emergency management director), informing us of the situation," Arrighi said. "The number of shutdowns and interruptions is concerning."
Sinclair and Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan both stressed the leaky valve did not pose a safety problem for the public.
Tuesday was eventful for Pilgrim personnel.
During a table-top emergency preparedness drill earlier in the day, staff discovered that the "bridge-conferencing" system that allows operators to remain in constant communication during an emergency wasn't working.
Staff members were forced to communicate via telephone, portable handheld radios, satellite phones and cellphones, according to the event report that plant officials later submitted to the NRC.
Diane Turco, co-founder of a watchdog group called the Cape Downwinders, expressed concern over the malfunction of the emergency communications system.
"If it had been a real emergency and things were escalating, they would be working with 1960s technology," Turco said.
The communication system's problem has been linked to a computer server, which was to be replaced Wednesday, Sinclair said.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Daniel Wolf, D-Harwich, said Pilgrim's stumbling performance was an indication it should be shut down.
"I think we as a community have to speak louder and louder that this is not acceptable," Wolf said.
"This is not a discussion of the merits of nuclear power, but of the merits of a 40-year-old plant experiencing several mechanical breakdowns."
In November, the NRC lowered Pilgrim's performance rating because of shutdowns with complications, placing it among 22 in the country requiring more federal oversight.
Federal regulators also sent Pilgrim officials written notice that the plant's standing would likely fall even further by year's end, placing it among the nation's eight worst performers.
Sheehan, in an email, noted that Tuesday's shutdown was "carefully controlled" and done without complication.
Asked about this year's overall performance, Sheehan wrote: "We've acknowledged that Pilgrim has exceeded industry averages for unplanned shutdowns. We have also pointed out that our Reactor Oversight Process is designed to capture that trend and is already resulting in increased NRC oversight, with more to come."
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