Perry nuclear plant back online after refueling and maintenance

FirstEnergy Corp. said Friday its Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio, is back in service after it was shut down in March for refueling and maintenance.

The 1,268-megawatt unit, which is operated by the company’s FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. subsidiary, is expected to reach full power over the next several days. During the outage, 280 of the 748 fuel assemblies were exchanged and a new, large transformer and two new feed water heaters were installed. The transformer provides power from the off-site transmission network to the plant's onsite electrical systems. The feed water heaters preheat the water used in the reactor vessel. Both projects are expected to improve plant productivity.

The Perry plant has operated safely and reliably since its last refueling in spring 2013, generating more than 18.6 million megawatt hours of carbon-free electricity during a site record of 405 consecutive days online