COURTESY PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER STATION
The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth is yet again operating at sharply reduced capacity following as officials continue to deal with valve issues at the plant.
As of yesterday, the facility was working at 23% capacity as workers deal with the problem.
In a statement to CapeCod.com, Pilgrim spokesman Patrick O’Brien that the power reduction came as a result of prescheduled maintenance.
“Pilgrim is currently operating at reduced power due to a scheduled backwash of the main condenser,” he explained.
According to Pilgrim, backwashes are routine maintenance conducted 5-6 times annually to ensure safe and reliable operation of the main condenser by removing mussel growth.
During this power reduction officials at the plant will also be conducting other scheduled maintenance and testing, and would not indicate when they expect to return to full power.
Valves are responsible for regulating water flow into nuclear reactors, and keeping them fully operational has been a consistent issue at the Plymouth facility.
Similar valve issues have led to a number of unplanned shutdowns of the plant this year alone.
Pilgrim is set to permanently close in mid-2019.
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