Limerick nuclear plant in Limerick Township, Pennsylvania, took its Unit 1 reactor offline this week for a planned refueling outage.
During this time, the reactor will have approximately one-third of its fuel assemblies replaced, and maintenance and inspection work will be done during the outage as well. Such safety and operational monitoring can't be carried out while the reactor is up and running.
During this outage, an additional 1,500 contracted workers will join the full-time staff of approximately 800 people.
“This year’s refueling outage represents Exelon’s continued investment in the future of Limerick Generating Station,” Site Vice President Rick Libra said. “Limerick plays a vital role in providing reliable energy to our region. During the outage, we will upgrade equipment and perform maintenance work to ensure the long-term reliability of the plant.”
Operating company Exelon Corp. said the Unit 2 reactor will remain in operation while Unit 1 is out of commission. The company also said the additional work force brought in for this project will give the local economy a boost.
A representative of the local Hampton Inn in Limerick Township said periodic refueling outages boost occupancy rates by approximately 40 percent.
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