Pump Issue Forces Illinois Nuclear Plant to Shut Down

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--One of Exelon Corporation's (NYSE:EXC) (Chicago, Illinois) nuclear power plants in Clinton, Illinois, was forced to shut down because of rising water levels at the lake utilized by the station for cooling purposes. The 1,043-megawatt Unit 1 at the Clinton Nuclear Generating Station was shut down. On Monday, February 11, 2008, the Clinton Lake reached 694 feet. The lake's normal level is 690 feet. The power station has strict procedures that prompt emergency action plans when flood-watch conditions are observed.

Lake levels continue to rise because of the melting snow and heavy rains received in the area for the past several days. In addition, engineers discovered issues in the recirculation pumps and optic isolators, which are both critical components to the power plant's functionality. "We don't know if the rising water level caused the issues in the equipment. We're shutting the unit down as a precautionary measure," a plant official said. Engineers are hoping that the water level reaches an acceptable range and that the components are repaired this week.

The station consists of a 1,043-megawatt General Electric reactor. The unit began operation in 1987 with final construction costs exceeding $4 billion. The original plant owner was Illinois Power, which found it uneconomical to own only one nuclear station and subsequently sold the station to Exelon.

Exelon is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with more than $15 billion in annual revenues. It distributes electricity to approximately 5.2 million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania. Exelon's operations include energy generation and power marketing.

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