Power reduction at Limerick nuke plant was due to less demand, not damage from Sandy

Source: The Mercury (Pottstown PA)

LIMERICK — Hurricane Sandy’s only immediate impact on the region’s nuclear power plant was a sudden decrease in the need for power due to outages, causing the plant to decrease power.

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Other plants shut down for storm-related reasons.

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According to NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan, “Limerick Unit 1 decreased power to about 50 percent, Limerick Unit 2 to about 25 percent due to reduced electrical demand on the grid. This is due to the widespread power outages resulting from the storm.”

He noted that the power outages in just New Jersey alone are as high as 2.5 million, thus illustrating the lower power demands.

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Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121030/NEWS01/121039918/power-reduction-at-limerick-nuke-plant-was-due-to-less-demand-not-damage-from-sandy#full_story

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5 replies	Author	Time	Post
Power reduction at Limerick nuke plant was due to less demand, not damage from Sandy (Original post)	bananas	Oct 2012	OP
There once was a nuke plant named Mike	AngryAmish	Oct 2012	#1
Reactors should be shut down before a storm like this	bananas	Oct 2012	#2
Exactly	madokie	Oct 2012	#3
It makes no difference. It literally takes years to fully shut down a nuke plant.	Thegonagle	Oct 2012	#5
I live and work minutes from that plant. The reduction was SOP.	onehandle	Oct 2012	#4

Response to bananas (Original post)

Wed Oct 31, 2012, 11:23 AM

AngryAmish (19,651 posts)

1. There once was a nuke plant named Mike

Who didn't want it's power to spike
So he turned it down
Saw faces turn to frown
And then sped away on a trike!

There once was a man from venus
Who had a very large...

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Response to bananas (Original post)

Wed Oct 31, 2012, 11:31 AM

bananas (20,292 posts)

2. Reactors should be shut down before a storm like this

If there's a serious accident during a storm like this, people won't be able to evacuate and emergency workers won't be able to get in. That's a completely avoidable disaster. There's enough generation capacity for peak load during the summer when air conditioners are running at full blast, so the electricity from nuclear isn't needed at all.

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Response to bananas (Reply #2)

Wed Oct 31, 2012, 12:00 PM

madokie (36,954 posts)

3. Exactly

I'd like to see the results of a study of how dirty or clean, whichever, nuclear power is, going from the drawing board to completion of its cycle life taking in the mining of the ore and the refining of the fuel compared to a NG plant. I know there is no comparison between coal and nukes. Producing the fuel for a nuclear plant is a dirty process in itself, takes a lot of energy too.

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Response to bananas (Reply #2)

Wed Oct 31, 2012, 02:55 PM

Thegonagle (775 posts)

5. It makes no difference. It literally takes years to fully shut down a nuke plant.

They can shut down their electrical output in seconds, but that stuff stays hot enough to melt for months.

No matter whether they're generating electricity or not, a crew needs to be there keeping the pumps running anyway, so they might as well keep the lights on.

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Response to bananas (Original post)

Wed Oct 31, 2012, 12:42 PM

onehandle (36,001 posts)

4. I live and work minutes from that plant. The reduction was SOP.

Our power never went out.

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