Pilgrim's problems drag on

Sep 14 - Christine Legere Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.

Entergy Corp., the owner-operator of the 41-year-old Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, won't discuss money because of the competitive nature of the energy market, but the revenue stream must have been down to a trickle in the last three weeks as the trouble-plagued plant operated at partial capacity or not at all.

The Pilgrim plant is in its sixth day of a full shutdown. It was taken offline Sunday because of a steam leak in a heater line. In addition to addressing the leaking problem, troubleshooters continue to tinker with circuitry connected to one of three major pumps that supply water to the nuclear reactor. The pump has been on the blink since.

That date marks the beginning of Pilgrim's 23-day run of problems. On Aug. 22, a tripped breaker caused all three water pumps to fail and workers to quickly shut down the reactor.

A faulty cable, thought to be the culprit, was replaced during the four-day shutdown and the plant was restarted Aug. 26. One of the three pumps still failed to function, however, which troubleshooters then attributed to a burned-out motor.

The problem, meanwhile, limited the plant production to 76 percent for the next several days.

A replacement motor was dusted off and installed, but the pump still failed to work. The pump was still nonfunctional when the steam leak caused the plant to go offline. Operators are now eyeing the circuitry linked to the motor as the possible cause of the pump problem.

Dave Lochbaum, director of the Nuclear Safety Project for the Union of Concerned Scientists, had harsh criticism for the inability of troubleshooters to identify causes for Pilgrim's failed water pump.

"Trial and error generally isn't the preferred method of solving problems at nuclear power plants," he said in an email Friday.

Lochbaum noted there are "hundreds" of manuals to help workers troubleshoot operational problems.

"Swapping out the motor and hoping the new one works isn't among the many methods recommended," Lochbaum wrote. "The proper guidance is available -- but it only works when you take the manual off the shelf and read it."

Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, declined to react to Lochbaum's criticisms other than to say his agency "has our own way of tracking plant performance."

"We do that with eyes-on inspectors," Sheehan said. "They're on-site and they'll document their findings and release them in the not-too-distant future." The reports come out quarterly, Sheehan said.

Entergy's spokesman said efforts to get the plant back online are moving forward. "Repair of the feedwater heater line steam leak continues on schedule," said James Sinclair in an email. He said workers are still troubleshooting the cause of the electrical problem related to the water pump, noting "it's too early to say for certain what the exact cause is."

According to Sinclair, "the plant will be restarted once the repairs are complete and all equipment readiness checks are complete."

Both the NRC and Entergy have stated the problems at the plant in the last few weeks affect energy production but not public safety.

Meanwhile Diane Turco, founder of the anti-nuclear group Cape Downwinders, continues to call for the decommissioning of Pilgrim.

"When is Entergy going to cry 'uncle' and when are our public safety officials going to say 'enough is enough?'" Turco said. "All these electrical problems could lead to a catastrophe. This is how accidents happen. They're not planned."

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