Entergy's Northeast Nuclear Plants Safely Weather Hurricane Sandy

Entergy's Northeast Nuclear Plants Safely Weather Hurricane Sandy

by Will Davis

Below is a press release from Entergy Nuclear. --------------------- October 30, 2012 For Immediate Release Contact: Jerry Nappi Indian Point Energy Center jnappi@entergy.com (914) 254-7132   Carol Wightman Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station cwightm@entergy.com (508) 830-8280 Jim Sinclair Vermont Yankee | James A. FitzPatrick jsincla@entergy.com (802) 275-2360
Entergy’s Northeast Nuclear Plants Safely Weather Hurricane Sandy
New Orleans, La. – With the brunt of Hurricane Sandy now past the eastern seaboard, Entergy’s Indian Point Energy Center and James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in New York, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts and Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Vermont have all safely weathered the storm. Indian Point 2, FitzPatrick and Pilgrim remained at full power while Vermont Yankee reduced power to 88 percent at the request of ISO New England to help maintain grid stability. Indian Point 3 automatically shut down at 10:41 p.m. Monday as a result of an electrical grid disturbance. “Nuclear plants are built to exceed the most severe natural forces historically reported for their geographic area,” said John Herron, president and CEO of Entergy Nuclear. “And we saw evidence of that again with Hurricane Sandy.” Entergy Nuclear plants began preparations for the storm last week, coordinating activities with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, independent system operators and various state and local government officials. Critical Entergy Nuclear staff remained dedicated at each site, ready to respond to potential weather impacts. In addition to the nuclear plant staff sequestered at Indian Point, FitzPatrick, Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee, the company’s utilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas sent more than 850 highly-experienced restoration workers and support personnel to the region impacted by the hurricane. They include scouts, who assess damage when safe to do so after the storm, and tool workers who will help rebuild the electrical system. Entergy will also provide some customer service representatives to remotely answer customer calls from affected areas. Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation’s leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.   ---------------------   9:55 AM Eastern 10/30/2012 ATOMIC POWER REVIEW