The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has granted a license amendment to the Millstone nuclear plant to accommodate higher water temperatures in Long Island Sound.
The amendment, issued Friday and reported by the Connecticut Mirror this week, allows unit 2 to operate with an ultimate heat sink water temperature of up to 80 degrees. Previously, the reactor had to shut down when the water reached 75 degrees. The unit was forced offline for 12 days in 2012 because of unusually high water temperatures in its part of the sound. Last summer they reached 73 degrees.
The Dominion plant has also applied for a similar license amendment for unit 3, which did not shut down in 2012. Unit 2 is a Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor first licensed in 1975. Unit 3 is a Westinghouse PWR first licensed in 1986.