Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station in Nebraska Temporarily Closes Due to Ice

---

Researched by Industrial Information Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station, located in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, is temporarily offline due to ice build-up on one of the gates. The station is owned by Omaha Nebraska Public Power District (OPPD).

Industrial Info has learned that an ice build-up on one of the gates has caused the plant to temporarily shut down. The station has six gates, which are referred to as "sluice gates." The ice build-up on one of the gates was enough to keep it from fully closing. The gates are in place to protect the station's intake structure.

Under regulation set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), all of the gates must be able to be closed quickly if a flooding situation arises. OPPD spokesman Jeff Hanson said that "even though we don't have a flood or one in the near forecast, we are required to shutdown until we can resolve the situation."

"At no time was the public in any danger," Hansen added.

According to a press release issued by OPPD, workers checking the plant first noticed the ice build-up Wednesday night. Operators then began analyzing the situation and notified the NRC of the non-emergency condition that would require the plant to shut down at 3:15 a.m.

The process of safely taking the plant offline began about two hours later. The plant was offline around 9 a.m. Thursday.

Industrial Info also has learned that workers have cleared the ice and are taking steps to manually lower the affected gate. Once the gate is closed, the intake structure can operate safely and effectively with only five of the six gates opened. Sources at the plant have said that they are hoping to have the plant back online by this weekend.

The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station initially shut down for routine maintenance, but significant flooding in 2011, a small fire, and a series of safety violations forced it to remain closed. The plant was not restarted until December 26, 2013.

The station has one generating unit, which began operations in 1973, and a total generating capacity of 482 megawatts when at full load.

View Plant Profile - 1014368
View Outage Report - 231966

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and nine international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.