Pilgrim Powers Down Due to Faulty Equipment

COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION

PLYMOUTH – The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is once again offline due to an equipment problem.

Operators powered down the reactor on Friday after detecting a potential issue with one of the two feedwater regulation valves at the station.

The valves control how much water is delivered to the reactor. The steam generated from the water turns the turbine to create power.

“In accordance with station procedure, operators removed the plant from service to address the issue,” said Pilgrim spokesman Patrick O’Brien.

It’s not yet known when Pilgrim will to return to service.

“The time when the plant will reconnect to the grid is considered business sensitive information and we do not disclose that publicly,” O’Brien said.

Pilgrim was put back into service less than two weeks ago after a 43-day maintenance outage. In March, crews discovered a leak in the feedwater heating system and took the station offline to fix the problem. After staying off the grid during two winter storms, operators had to delay the restart of the station due to faulty a start-up transformer.

The 46-year-old Plymouth facility has been plagued by equipment problems in recent years and is currently one step away from a federally-mandated closure after a series of unplanned shutdowns and safety violations.

Pilgrim is set to permanently close in mid-2019.