PSEG Nuclear’s Hope Creek Generating Station Begins Refueling Outage and Sets New Records
HANCOCKS BRIDGE, N.J., April 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — PSEG Nuclear’s Hope Creek Generating Station was safely taken offline today just after midnight for its scheduled refueling and maintenance outage. The operation marked a new record for the plant’s longest continuous production run of 517 consecutive days online.
For the first time in its 32-year operating history, Hope Creek also achieved what is known as a “breaker-to-breaker” run, meaning the station had been operating nonstop since reconnecting to the regional power grid on November 11, 2016, following its previous refueling outage. Operating nonstop 24/7 throughout 2017, Hope Creek set a new generation record last year when it produced 10.6 million megawatt hours of electricity.
“Concentrating on safe, event-free operations and our equipment reliability helped Hope Creek set these records and a new standard for excellence,” said Pete Sena, PSEG Nuclear President and Chief Nuclear Officer. “This success is the direct result of our dedicated employees who work around the clock to keep the power flowing for New Jersey and the region.”
While the plant is offline, employees will replace a quarter of the reactor’s secure, onsite fuel and perform nearly 14,000 inspections, tests and maintenance activities. PSEG Nuclear also is investing $41 million in capital equipment upgrades to improve reliability and ensure safe operations.
To support the extensive list of work, approximately 1,000 contractors and craftspeople representing 10 different trade unions are working with PSEG employees during the outage. While in the Salem County area, these workers will live and shop locally giving a major boost to the local economy.
