Indian Point Unit 2 reactor refueling outage underway

Indian Point nuclear power plant
Indian Point nuclear power plant | Courtesy of Shutterstock

A refueling outage recently was initiated at Indian Point Nuclear Plant's Unit 2 reactor in Buchanan, New York, Entergy Corp. said.

Refueling outages are routine procedures during which a portion of the facility’s nuclear fuel assemblies are replaced and other maintenance is carried out while the unit is offline.

“Both Indian Point units continue to operate safely and reliably, and people can be confident we are working to address any challenges to maintain an outstanding record of safety,” Larry Coyle, site vice president and Entergy’s top official at Indian Point, said. “Indian Point Unit 2 recorded a remarkably reliable run of service, benefitting millions of New Yorkers with clean, safe energy. We are investing an enormous amount of money during this refueling and maintenance outage to refresh and renew the plant over the next month while it is shut down.”

The company said Unit 2 had been online for approximately 99.6 percent of the time since its last refueling outage and that approximately 17.8 million megawatt hours were generated since March 2014.

Indian Point Unit 3 will remain in operation while Unit 2 is offline. During the outage, Entergy said post-Fukushima safety enhancements will be installed.