Indian Point Energy Center’s Unit 2 reactor is back in service after a monthlong maintenance and refueling outage.
Indian Point owner and operator Entergy Corp. said on April 21 that it has completed its 23rd, and final, maintenance and refueling outage for the reactor ”“ one of two at the Buchanan nuclear plant.
The shutdown started March 19. Since then, about 2,000 professionals ”“ including 1,000 skilled contractors ”“ have been at work on inspections and upgrades. Entergy said it invested about $75 million in this refueling and maintenance round.
Plant workers discovered an issue with one of the 97 tubes that penetrate the head, or lid, of the reactor during the refueling process, Entergy reported. Repairs on the tube received necessary Nuclear Regulatory Commission approvals and Energy said inspections of the reactor head found no other issues.
The work marked the final refueling before Indian Point’s Unit 2 is shutdown for good by April 30, 2020. The plant’s second reactor, Unit 3, remained in service throughout the Unit 2 outage and will undergo its final refueling outage next spring, before being shutdown permanently by April 30, 2021.
In January 2017, Entergy announced plans to shutdown Indian Point by 2021 as part of a legal settlement with New York State and the environmental group Riverkeeper.
