Nuclear power plant near Richland refueled, again supplying power to the Northwest
RICHLAND – The Columbia Generating Station, the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power plant, is again supplying enough electricity to power about 1 million homes after a 65-day refueling outage.
It reconnected to the power grid at about 5 p.m. Monday.
The outage, originally planned for 56 days, was extended for nine more days as a variety of planned tasks took longer than expected.
Some of the 2,000 additional workers hired for the outage replaced 256 of the 764 nuclear fuel assemblies in the reactor core with new fuel. Every two years, a third of the reactor’s fuel is replaced. After used fuel is cooled, it is stored on a secure outdoor pad near the reactor until the nation has a permanent repository for used reactor fuel.
“The work accomplished during this outage enhances Columbia’s reliability and strengthens our mission to provide carbon-free, cost-effective energy,” said Energy Northwest CEO Bob Schuetz. “The team completed an impressive amount of work, and we’re pleased to once again be producing much-needed electricity for the region.”
A longer -than -usual outage was planned this spring and more workers were hired after a major project was planned – installing a new adjustable speed drive system. The system needed to be replaced after there were a few issues that required powering down to fix components.
The speed drive controls the pumps that control the water inside the core, which in turn controls the amount of power the reactor produces, according to Energy Northwest.
The heat produced by a chain reaction boils the water within the core, creating steam that turns turbines attached to an electricity generator.
Other work included repairing the circulating water basin, electrical generator inspection and replacing a reactor recirculation pump and motor.
The spring refueling outages are timed to match the spring snow melt and runoff in the Northwest, when hydroelectric generation is high and the impact of a temporary halt to nuclear power production is minimized.
The Columbia Generating Station, about 10 miles north of Richland, is the third largest electricity generator in Washington state. The electricity it generates is sold at cost to the Bonneville Power Administration for distribution.