- Edited By Chris Reed-
The replacement of steam generators at the Waterford 3 nuclear power plant in southeastern Louisiana has been moved to the fall 2012 refueling outage.
According to documents filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Entergy Louisiana is resolving a manufacturing problem with the replacement generators.
The two current generators have been in service since the plant began operating in 1985, plant spokesman Carl Rhode told The Times-Picayune.
"They're reaching the end of their useful life," Rhode said.
An outage is still scheduled this April, despite the problem. Rhode said such a turnaround usually takes a month, but replacing the generators will take much longer.
It will cost $500 Million to replace the steam generators.
The problem with the generators arose at the factory in Spain where they are being built by the company ENSA under contract with Westinghouse, Rhode said. Part of a layer of stainless steel failed to bond with underlying carbon steel, causing cracks, he said.
Replacement involves cutting a hole in the containment vessel and lifting the generators out of the vessel, then lowering the new ones in, Rhode said. A section of the vessel was designed as a construction access port.
Entergy Louisiana is seeking a 20-year extension to its operating license, which would give the plant a lifespan of 60 years.
Anonymous comments will be moderated. Join for free and post now!
