U.S. nuclear production rises as Nextera starts Florida reactor

U.S. nuclear-power production rose 1.1 percent as NextEra Energy Inc. started the Saint Lucie 1 reactor in Florida.

Power generation nationwide increased by 952 megawatts from yesterday to 84,603 megawatts, or 83 percent of capacity, according to filings with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and data compiled by Bloomberg. Output is 0.3 percent higher than a year ago. Sixteen of the 104 U.S. reactors are offline.

NextEra is operating the 839-megawatt Saint Lucie 1 at 41 percent of capacity after shutting it Oct. 19 when a circulating water pump failed, a filing to the NRC showed. The cause was under investigation and a backup pump was undergoing maintenance, according to the filing.

The plant is 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Palm Beach. Another unit at the site, the 839-megawatt Saint Lucie 2, was at full capacity.

Xcel Energy Inc. boosted the 545-megawatt Prairie Island 2 reactor in Minnesota to 50 percent of capacity from 7 percent after shutting it Oct. 5 to replace a coolant pump seal.

The 551-megawatt Prairie Island 1, another reactor at the site about 40 miles southeast of Minneapolis, where Xcel is based, is operating at full power.

Perry Boosts

FirstEnergy Corp. increased output from the 1,261-megawatt Perry nuclear reactor in Ohio to 70 percent of capacity from 36 percent. The company started the unit Oct. 19 after obtaining approval from the agency to generate electricity while connecting a new backup transformer, required when the main transformer failed Sept. 29 and the plant shut Oct. 2.

Reactor maintenance and outages, usually undertaken in the U.S. spring or fall when energy consumption is lowest, can increase consumption of natural gas and coal to generate electricity. The average U.S. reactor refueling outage lasted 40 days in 2010, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute.