Pilgrim nuke shut down in winter storm again this weekend

Entergy, the company that blacked out the Super Bowl, now has taken down Massachusetts’ Pilgrim nuclear reactor in a winter storm. And that’s not the first time this year. Plus, what will happen with sea level rise to that nuke on the coast?

Beth Daley wrote for Boston.com this morning, Pilgrim nuclear plant shuts down in storm, Pilgrim Station nuclear plant automatically shut down in the thick of the storm Friday night after losing power, according to a statement by Entergy, the plant’s owner.

Authorities said there is no danger and backup diesel generators are powering safety systems.

“The plant is in a safe, secure condition and will remain on backup power supply until off-site power is restored,” the statement said.

But that’s hardly the whole story. Pilgrim Station has been down about a week lately, and at 80% still other days, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC):

Pilgrim reactor status most recent month

NOAA predicted something like this in a conference call Wednesday 6 February 2013:

  • WIDESPREAD PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES
  • 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW WITH 2 tTO 3 FOOT DRIFTS
  • WIND DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES; FALLING TREES
  • POTENTIAL FOR COASTAL FLOODING
  • POSSIBILITY OF STRANDED VEHICLES

NOAA also warned of a storm surge of 2 to 3 feet. For now. What about sea level rise? Surely it’s not right on the ocean, is it? Er, yes, it is.

It was also Entergy that blacked out the Super Bowl. Entergy says it was a faulty device. Should we depend on a company that can’t keep the lights on for the highest-profile sporting event in the country to build or run non-faulty nuclear plants?

How about Southern Company and its faulty concrete pouring on its overbudget and way late new nukes on the Savannah River? At the very least maybe we should stop SO and its greedy child Georgia Power from charging customers for cost overruns.

-jsq