Pilgrim’s repeated shutdowns prove costly

By Christine Legere
Posted Oct 8, 2018

Latest incident brings gross revenue losses to about $63M.

PLYMOUTH — Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station’s last full calendar year of operation continues to be a financial nightmare for its owner.

Entergy Corp. has lost about $63 million in gross revenue and $32 million in net revenue, based on the 57 days as of Monday the reactor has been fully powered down because of equipment problems since January.

And the total is rising. Pilgrim went into an unplanned automatic shutdown Friday when a valve that regulates water flow into the reactor unexpectedly closed, causing a drop in reactor water level.

Safety systems kicked in and the control rods, which halt the nuclear fission process, slid into place.

On Monday, Entergy spokesman Patrick O’Briensaid workers will perform some maintenance while the reactor is shut down. O’Brien would not provide a restart date for the reactor because the information is considered market-sensitive.

“There was no impact to the health and safety of our staff, the public, or the environment as a result of this event,” O’Brien said via email.

There was likely some harm to Entergy’s profit margin, although O’Brien again declined to comment on the figures as that is market-sensitive.

The plant generates an average of $1.1 million in gross revenue per day and about $568,504 after all bills are paid when operating at 90 percent power or higher, based on figures from ISO-New England and data from SNL Energy, a data and analysis resource for the utility industry.

The valve that caused Friday’s shutdown is part of the same feedwater system that has malfunctioned a few times already this year. In early March and in late April, feedwater-related issues resulted in reactor shutdowns.

Those same valves forced the reactor to shut down in February 2017 and September 2016, according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission records.

The recurring situation drew criticism from an outspoken plant watchdog.

“Given this 1960s technology, the valve failures should be no surprise,” said Diane Turco, president of the Cape Downwinders. “What is most alarming is that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows Entergy to operate Pilgrim with these repetitive failures.”

Pilgrim is under intense scrutiny from the NRC because of its classification as the worst performer of the nation’s 98-reactor commercial fleet. It is the only plant in Category 4,one step from mandatory shutdown.

Read more about problems at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station: capecodtimes.com/pilgrim.

Mary Lampert, director of the citizens group Pilgrim Watch, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission may say the feedwater system does not play a direct safety role, “but not getting water to the reactor could cause a very bad day.”

“How many times has this system been involved in a shutdown or a serious power-down?” Lampert said. “I don’t see Entergy doing much about it in the next eight months; they’re losing money and they’re closing. They’re probably all there with their fingers crossed.”

Pilgrim is scheduled to shut down permanently by June 1. Entergy said the decision was made because Pilgrim was a financial loser.

David Lochbaum, former director of the Nuclear Safety Program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said recent events “are not evidence of feedwater system components wearing out and Entergy not spending the money to properly fix them.”

“Feedwater components have long been a problem at Pilgrim,” he said.

His records show valve problems prompting reactor shutdowns since 1975.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20181008/pilgrims-repeated-shutdowns-prove-costly