Metal Piece Found Wedged in Reactor Vessel at Michigan's Palisades Nuclear Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Operators at the Palisades Nuclear Station in Covert, Michigan, have discovered a 5-inch-wide, 12-inch-long piece of metal from a broken impeller blade lodged in the reactor vessel. The station is owned by Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana).

Industrial Info learned that the metal was discovered by workers during the plant's scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.

"It's not a loose piece floating around," Entergy spokeswoman Lindsay Rose said. "It's firmly wedged into place." Workers have been unable to remove the metal. Entergy plans to leave the metal in place, saying it does not pose a safety risk to workers or the public.

Plant officials informed Industrial Info that this issue will not affect the refueling-maintenance outage. The outage already had been extended due to some valve issues. However, officials said that they still plan to return the plant to full power as scheduled on March 15. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will have the final say as to whether the plant can continue to operate safely with the metal piece.

Entergy bought Palisades in 2007. The plant has one reactor with a total generating capacity of 805 megawatts when at full load.

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