Thursday, December 5, 2024
Unit 2 at Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in Glen Rose has officially gone offline due to a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.
The outage — which began Sunday, Oct. 20 — is scheduled to last 25 days, according to outagecalendar.com.
Justin Daily, senior manager of nuclear communications at Vistra Energy, the company that owns Comanche Peak, explained that a refueling outage is a brief interruption in power production to swap out old fuel for new.
While the outage may appear unexpected, Daily explained that this happens on a schedule that is set years in advance.
“Both units at Comanche Peak are on alternating 18-month refueling cycles. Therefore, we typically have one refueling outage each year, and two — one for each unit — every third year,” he said.
The licenses for the two units at Comanche Peak — initially granted for 1990-2030 and 1993-2033 — were also recently renewed this past summer for an additional 20 years, extending their operating licenses through 2050 and 2053, respectively.
This renewal not only reinforces the plant's commitment to long-term energy production but also highlights its capacity, as each unit generates approximately 1,200 megawatts — providing reliable electricity to thousands of homes in the area.
“In Texas, one megawatt is enough to power about 500 homes in normal conditions or about 200 homes during periods of peak demand, typically during extreme heat or cold,” Daily said.
In addition to replacing fuel, these routine outages provide an opportunity to complete maintenance that cannot be done while the unit is online and producing power.
“Our talented team performs thousands of maintenance activities during these outages to ensure our plant is reliable and can continue to provide the state with the energy it needs,” said Ken Peters, Vistra chief nuclear officer.
Daily also pointed out that the maintenance helps to ensure that the unit performs reliably during the next operating cycle.
“Nuclear reactors produce carbon-free electricity every hour of every day for the full 18 months between refueling outages,” he added.
With the outage bringing in an additional 700 to 1,000 extra workers to the area to assist with needed duties, Daily highlighted that this will also create an economic boost for hotels, restaurants and related businesses.
As the community prepares for this economic influx throughout the outage, Daily also emphasized the importance of the timely and safe completion of the task, stating that the unit will return to service as soon as all work is finished.
“Our team is working diligently to complete the refueling outage safely and efficiently,” he added.
