U.S. Nuclear 17 Feb, 2011: Output Little Changed as San Onofre Reactor Starts

Bloomberg: U.S. Nuclear Output Little Changed as San Onofre Reactor Starts

U.S. nuclear-power output was little changed after Progress Energy Inc. reduced output at the Harris 1 reactor in North Carolina and Edison International started San Onofre 3 in California, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.

Production by U.S. reactors fell 149 megawatts from yesterday to 94,230 megawatts, or 93 percent of capacity, according to a report today from the NRC and data compiled by Bloomberg. Six reactors are offline.

Edison International’s 1,080-megawatt San Onofre 3 reactor, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) southeast of San Clemente, is operating at 15 percent of capacity. It was shut Oct. 10 for maintenance including refueling and replacement of two steam generators, Gil Alexander, a company spokesman, said in a Dec. 10 e-mail.

American Electric Power Co. reduced output at its 1,009- megawatt D.C. Cook 1 reactor in Michigan to 65 percent of capacity. The unit, which was at 100 percent of capacity yesterday, is about 26 miles (42 kilometers) northwest of South Bend, Indiana.

Progress Energy reduced output at the 900-megawatt Harris 1 reactor to 63 percent of capacity from full power. The plant is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Raleigh.

DTE Energy Co. increased output for its 1,122-megawatt Fermi 2 reactor in Michigan to 96 percent of capacity, the NRC said. The unit, which operated at 57 percent of capacity yesterday, is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Detroit.