Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Back Online

Pilgrim Station is back in service this afternoon after being taken offline for valve work on Tuesday morning, according to Entergy officials. The plant was reconnected to the New England electical grid at 1:08 p.m. Friday. The plant output is presently about 20 percent power and is being gradually raised back to full power over the weekend.

According to a statement from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the valve, one of four, provides "overpressure protection for the plant’s reactor coolant system by opening when required to discharge reactor steam into the suppression pool, a large, donut-shaped reservoir of water located at the bottom of the reactor building. The plant’s technical specifications required that a shutdown be initiated within 24 hours because of the leakage."

The leak was captured inside the plant as designed and was not a threat to workers or the public. The repair work on the valve could not be done while the plant was operating. Station personnel are working around the clock to perform the needed repairs and restart the unit.

The leak was detected Monday and an NRC resident inspector was at Pilgrim to monitor the shutdown, which took place without any complications. "Our inspectors will also follow repairs to the valve and the return of the plant to service once those are satisfactorily completed," Williams stated.