Dominion reduces Conn. Millstone 2 reactor for work

July 16 (Reuters) - Dominion Resources Inc reduced the
869-megawatt Unit 2 at the Millstone nuclear power plant in
Connecticut to 85 percent by early Monday from full power early
Friday, a spokesman at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) said Monday.
Now is not a good time to have a big nuclear plant reduced
with the power grid already stressed as homes and businesses
across the U.S. Northeast and Midwest crank up their air
conditioners to escape another brutal heat wave.
The NRC spokesman, Neil Sheehan, said the company was
working to fix vibrations in a circulating water pump. He could
not say when the plant would return to full service.
Officials at the plant were not immediately available for
comment.
Sheehan said the plant has other water pumps and could
continue to operate with one of them out of service. He said the
NRC had not heard of any plans to shut the plant.

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PLANT BACKGROUND/TIMELINE
STATE: Connecticut
COUNTY: New London
TOWN: Waterford about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of
Hartford, the state capital
OPERATOR: Dominion Nuclear
OWNER(S): Unit 2 - Dominion Resources Inc (100 pct)
Unit 3 - Dominion Resources Inc (93.47 pct)
- Mass. Municipal Wholesale Elec. (4.8 pct)
- Central Vermont Public (1.73 pct)

CAPACITY: 2,102 MW
UNIT(S): 2 - 869-MW Combustion Engineering pressurized
reactor
3 - 1,233-MW Westinghouse pressurized water
reactor
FUEL: Nuclear
DISPATCH: Baseload
COST: Unit 2 - $424 million
Unit 3 - $3.77 billion
TIMELINE:
1966 - Unit 1 - a 660-MW General Electric boiling water
reactor - construction permit issued
1970 - Unit 1 enters commercial service
1970 - Unit 2 construction permit issued
1974 - Unit 3 construction permit issued
1975 - Unit 2 enters commercial service
1986 - Unit 3 enters commercial service
1998 - Unit 1 retired
2001 - Dominion buys station from Northeast Utilities and
others as part of the deregulation of the New
England power markets
2005 - NRC renews 40-year licenses for additional 20 years

2009 - NRC approves uprate to increase Unit 3 output by 7
percent to about 1,230 MW
2035 - Unit 2 extended operating license expires
2045 - Unit 3 extended operating license expires