Return of Palo Verde Unit One Delayed

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Thursday night, Palo Verde Nuclear Power Station was in mode 2 (reactor start-up), well into the process of returning Unit One to service after a prolonged refueling outage. Optimism was even noticeable in the voices of plant personnel Thursday afternoon, who have stated numerous times recently that they are “ready to get out of that unit.”

Friday morning held a different perspective from plant personnel…that of utter frustration.

Unfortunately, what is believed to be a core cooling pump malfunctioned in the early morning hours Friday, thus forcing the plant to shut down the reactor and return the unit to mode 5 (cold stand-by). Plant officials are now aiming to return the unit to service sometime during the early part of next week, but only if repairs go according to plan and no further delays are encountered.

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located about 35 miles west of Phoenix in Tonopah, Arizona, has been the largest nuclear power producer in the United States since the mid-80s. Its three units are capable of generating over 3,800 megawatts of electricity; enough power for nearly four million average American homes. Palo Verde is also the largest single commercial taxpayer in Arizona, operated by Arizona Public Service Company (APS), and owned by a consortium of seven utilities in the Southwest. Of note, APS is the largest stakeholder in the generating facility at 29.1%.

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