Reply #31: Oyster Creek is a creeking dinosaur - is back on line at full power yet???

[jpak]

UPDATE 3-Exelon's N.J. Oyster Creek reactor shut Tuesday

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2007-07-17T195428Z_01_N17177426_RTRIDST_0_UTILITIES-OPERATIONS-EXELON-OYSTERCREEK-UPDATE-3.XML

NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) - Exelon Corp.'s (EXC.N: Quote, Profile , Research) 619-megawatt Oyster Creek nuclear power station in New Jersey automatically shut from full power early Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the company said.

In a release, the company said the unit shut due to a low water level in the reactor from an apparent electrical fault and resulting failure of a feedwater pump.

The feedwater pump is one of three pumps that supply water to the reactor.
Reuters Pictures

The spokeswoman could not say when the unit would return to service due to competitive reasons.

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Oyster Creek emits radiation, feds say

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/07/oyster_creek_emits_radiation_f.html

A day after an electrical problem caused a shutdown of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey, its operators acknowledged that a small amount of radiation was released into the atmosphere.

About 1 curie of tritium was released during the shutdown, said Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"That's equal to about half the dose you would receive from living with one smoke detector in your house for one year," he said.

Tritium is a weak radioisotope found naturally in the environment and also produced in commercial reactors.

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edit: NJ folks don't like the OC too much...

Oyster Creek's time is up, residents tell board

http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2007/0628/Front_Page/016.html

TOMS RIVER - Should the nearly 40-year-old Oyster Creek nuclear plant in Lacey Township be allowed to operate for another 20 years?

No.

That was the overwhelming response of many of the several hundred Ocean County residents who attended either the afternoon or night session of the May 31 Atomic Safety Licensing Board (ASLB) hearing in the county administration building.

Almost to a person, they had the same message. The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station must close when its license expires in April 2009.

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