Electrical disturbance causes May 7 shut down at Exelon's Oyster Creek plant

Exelon Corp. said last week that the automatic shut down at its Oyster Creek generating station at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday was due to an electrical disturbance on the non-nuclear side of the plant.

Operators responded to the shutdown and all systems functioned as designed, Exelon said. The company notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and state officials. The shutdown did not present any public health or safety risks.

Oyster Creek is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia in Ocean County, New Jersey. The plant produces 636 net megawatts of electricity at full power, enough electricity to supply 600,000 typical homes, the equivalent to all homes in Monmouth and Ocean counties. In addition, plant workers contribute more than $69 million to New Jersey’s economy through their payrolls.