Entergy-Fitzpatrick Is Beginning To Be Unreliable?

Right, Pilgrim has had severe capacity factor issues this past this past cycle. Two shutdowns by bad SRV valves and numerous power restrictions.  Arkansas one  dropped a 600 ton stator…knocked off one plant for a month and we don’t know when they will get the second plant running…

I talked to the NRC about Fitzpatrick yesterday. Their power was up and down all this week on the NRC’s internet site. They are at 95% power today.  They are having “conductivity issues” according to the NRC. It sounds like their main condenser is leaking in river water and salt. They got little holes in the main condensers and the vacuum is sucking in the dirty water.  They got a bum main condenser?

Problems with conductivity issues

1)      It causes corrosion on the fuel pins and reactor components…leading to damage and fuel leaks.

2)      Can increase radiation levels throughout the plant.

3)      The replacement of the main condenser can be a 100 million to 400 million dollar job and takes many months to accomplished.

So are Entergy’s  philosophical “economic efficiencies”  and “budget problems” leading to unintended consequences? A drastic decline with their plants staying up at 100% and staying connected to the grid fixed easily preventable problems…