PSEG N.J. Salem 1 nuclear unit at half capacity

PHOENIX, March 21 (Reuters) - Public Service Enterprise Group Inc (PEG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) by Friday morning had cut in half output at its 1,174-megawatt Unit 1 at the Salem nuclear power station in New Jersey, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report.

PSEG on Thursday cut back from full power because of grass and other debris blocking the cooling water intake, a spokesman for the company said.

There was no estimate of when the unit would return to full power, and said it was unlikely the unit would have to fully shut.

A storm upstream and the high winds in the Salem area stirred up the grass and debris.

The 3,403-MW Salem/Hope Creek station is located along the Delaware River in Salem about 40 miles (65 km) south of Philadelphia. There are three reactors at the station, the 1,174-MW Salem 1, the 1,130-MW Salem 2 and the 1,061-MW Hope Creek, along with the 38-MW Salem 3 oil-fired turbine.

Salem 1 and 2 entered service in 1977 and 1981, and Hope Creek in 1986.

Hope Creek continued to operate at full power.

Unit 2 remained shut for refueling from March 12 and will likely return in late May.

During the outage workers will replace Unit 1's four steam generators in addition to the usual refueling activities during this outage.