Exelon (NYSE:EXC) reported May 13 that it had restored Oyster Creek Generating Station to full power following a planned maintenance outage to enhance system reliability and efficiency in advance of the peak summer season.
The maintenance outage began on April 25. The units had been listed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at zero generation as recently as May 11.
Exelon announced a couple of years ago that Oyster Creek will retire operations the end of 2019. Within the past year, the company has filed a request with PJM Interconnection (PJM) to deactivate the Oyster Creek plant.
During the outage, technicians repaired and tested several pumps and seals that control water flow and performed maintenance on a control rod drive mechanism. Many of these activities could not be performed while the unit was generating electricity, Exelon said in a news release.
“The community relies on Oyster Creek’s electricity, particularly during the peak summer months,” explained Site Vice President Garey Stathes. “The work completed during this outage will help us operate at peak efficiency while meeting that demand.”
Oyster Creek is a 636-MW boiling water reactor (BWR) located 60 miles east of Philadelphia in Ocean County, New Jersey.
