Refueling outage begins at Perry Nuclear Power Plant

The FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC) began a scheduled outage on Monday at FirstEnergy's Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio, for maintenance and refueling. 


The company plans to install a new transformer that will help with reliability of power for operations at the plant. A total of 280 fuel assemblies will be replaced, and safety evaluations will take place throughout the facility, with special attention to the reactor vessel of the unit and the electrical generator. 


During the outage, 1,000 temporary employees and those from FENOC will supplement the plant's work force during this period. 


Maintenance of the facility also will include preventive measures to ensure safe operation. This will include valve testing and replacement of control-rod blades.


The facility's most recent refueling took place in May 2013, after which it was reported that the plant performed at consistent levels of safety and reliability. Since that time, it has produced 18.6 million megawatt hours of electricity without the use of material with carbon as a byproduct. 


FirstEnergy operates three plants, including the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, and the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio. The company specializes in diversified energy and is based in Akron, Ohio.