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AEP shuts big Mich. nuke due silt buildup SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - American Electric Power Co. (NYSE:AEP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The loss of more than 2,100 megawatts from the Midwest power network, Power demand was expected to ease Friday ahead of the three-day holiday Weather conditions in the Midwest also were expected to remain mild, AEP, of Columbus, Ohio, said Cook 2, in Bridgman, Mich., was reducing The unit was to remain in ``hot standby'', while plant operators look ``We don't know at this point how long the investigation or the work Schalk declined to estimate when the units might reconnect to the grid. The silt was drawn into the plant's water intake pipes and hurt the The Cook plant has three 16-foot diameter pipes that bring water from The Cook station was closed in September 1997 for extensive upgrades to
(UPDATE: Adds details)
- news) was forced to shut its big 1,090-megawatt (MW) Cook 2 nuclear
reactor in Michigan Thursday after a build-up of sandy silt from Lake
Michigan clogged the power unit's cooling water system.
The adjacent 1,020-MW Cook Unit 1 was already off line, shut Monday to
replace a valve in a pump that expels water from the plant.
however, was not expected to threaten the reliability of electric
service in the region, power traders said. One megawatt can power about
1,000 homes.
weekend to celebrate Labor Day Monday, with many offices and businesses
closing early so workers could get a head start on the weekend that
marks the unofficial end of summer.
cutting electricity demand for air conditioning or heating, traders
said.
power Thursday and expected to be taken off the grid late in the
afternoon or tonight, according to Bill Schalk, a company spokesman.
into what caused the silt buildup and figure out when they can put both
reactors back in service.
will take,'' Schalk told Reuters.
AEP does not comment on operating schedules for its generating units for
competitive reasons, he said.
performance of cooling systems needed by safety equipment and back-up
power systems.
one-half mile out in Lake Michigan into the facility. Pumps use this
water for cooling.
address safety concerns related to the plant's design. Unit 2 returned
to the grid in June 2000 and Unit 1 in December 2000.
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