Southern Nuclear said Wednesday that the company had set a record for a refueling and maintenance outage at the Edwin Hatch Electric Generating Plant's Unit 2 near Baxley, Ga., completing the service work in just 21 days and two hours.
Plant operators took the unit offline Feb. 6 at midnight, the company said. Electricity generation resumed Monday, Feb. 27 at 2:09 in the morning.
Technicians brought the unit through the routine work of refueling and maintenance -- including testing -- but also made upgrades to several plant systems and components "to enhance efficiency and reliability," Southern nuclear said.
Plant Hatch vice president David Vineyard applauded his crew's safety record and efficiency. "The work we perform during our outages is a significant investment in our facility," he said. "Unit 2 is positioned not just for the next 24 months, but for years of continued safe and reliable electricity production.
The record was set using 900 of the plant's permanent staff, plus approximately 800 additional workers from General Electric, Day and Zimmerman and other service partners who performed specialized tasks.
Hatch Unit 1 continued to operate while Unit 2 was down for servicing, the company noted.
Unit 2 is a General Electric Type 4 boiling water reactor that was licensed for operation in June 1978. The unit's current license, including a 20-year extension on its first license, expires in June 2038.
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South Texas Project did a 22 day refueling outage in 1996. I was working there at the time.
Great job and excellent work performed by the site and support vendors.
Congratulations on this great accomplishment! Hopefully the outage safety was as impressive as the duration, make sure you celebrate that as well.
