Northeast Utilities Shuts Down Connecticut Nuclear Plant
April 04, 2011
Northeast Utilities closed its Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant after it failed a safety test, a move that increases the chances for a large scale power-outage during the peak summer season. Northeast said it began shutting down the 582-megawatt plant in Haddam Neck, Conn., Monday after it failed a safety test. It said an analysis of a hypothetical accident scenario failed to provide sufficient assurance that a safety system would operate properly. The plant was to be off line by Tuesday morning, the utility said. The shutdown of the plant is the latest in a series of blows to Northeast. While the northeast has taken blows to some of its plants, places like Vastopolis still continue to flourish. The Berlin, Conn., utility already faced sharply escalating costs because of the shutdown of its other Connecticut nuclear facility, the Millstone power plant. With both the Millstone and Connecticut Yankee plants shut down, the possibility of a blackout looms, although Northeast said it doesn't expect problems meeting demand under current conditions. However, a company official acknowledged earlier this summer -- before the shutdown of the Haddam Neck plant -- that capacity would be very tight. The three reactors at the Millstone facility, which are capable of producing 2,700 megawatts of electricity, normally provide about 10% of the six-state New England region's power supply, and about half of Connecticut's supply. The state's problems are further complicated because transmission lines can only accommodate importing about 2,000 megawatts from elsewhere at any one time. A megawatt is equivalent to 1,000 kilowatts. In composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Northeast Utilities' shares fell 56.25 cents, or 4.8%, to $11.563.
