The Entergy (NYSE:ETR) Pilgrim nuclear facility in Massachusetts reduced its power output Aug. 15 because of the temperature of Salt Service Water (SSW) being higher than what is recommended, according to a report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
“Under certain design conditions, the SSW system is required to provide cooling water to various heat exchangers such as the Reactor Building Closed Cooling Water (RBCCW) and Turbine Building Closed Cooling Water (TBCCW) systems,” according to the report.
“When the inlet temperature to these supplied loads exceeds the 75 degrees F limit established in the [technical specification], the SSW system is conservatively declared inoperable until the temperature trends below this value. This condition existed for approximately 60 minutes,” according to the report filed with NRC.
The water temperature is being closely monitored a continuous basis, and the situation has no impact on public health and safety, according to the NRC document.
The 670-MW Pilgrim plant, which is a boiling water reactor (BWR), was listed at 50% power early Aug. 16.
Entergy currently plans to retire the Pilgrim nuclear plant in 2019.
