Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant Back To Full Power After Unplanned Shutdown

Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant was ramped up to full power this morning, after an unplanned shutdown on July 3.

Operators shut down the unit because of reduced vacuum in the plant's condenser system, Exelon spokesperson Suzanne D'Ambrosio said.

The plant was reconnected to the power grid at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

The plant's reactor was manually scrammed on July 3 due to degrading condenser vacuum conditions, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan has said.

The condenser cools down and condenses into water steam that is generated by the reactor after it has passed through the turbine to spin it and produce electricity. The condenser is operated under vacuum conditions in order to maximize efficiency, he said.

"The inspectors are continuing to follow up on the forced outage, but do not have any safety concerns at this time," Sheehan said Tuesday. "They will also review any restart plans and the restart itself."

The Oyster Creek shutdown did not have an impact on electrical service to customers.

Oyster Creek is the oldest nuclear plant in the United States. It went online on Dec. 23, 1969.

Image: Patricia A. Miller