The Pilgrim nuclear plant in Massachusetts returned to full power through the weekend after operators briefly cut its electricity production last week to account for hot water temperatures in Cape Cod Bay.
The boiling water reactor southeast of Boston operated at 85 percent power for an hour and a half Wednesday and at 95 percent power for an hour Thursday, a plant spokeswoman told the Boston Globe. Entergy is exploring operating procedure changes in anticipation of high temperatures through the remainder of the summer. Such changes might include an increase in the 75-degree maximum inlet water temperature – similar to changes the Millstone plant made last year – although that would require regulatory approval.
Temperatures in Massachusetts reached into the 90s last week, warming up the waterway that functions as Pilgrim's source of cooling water and its ultimate heat sink. The Globe quoted a Nuclear Regulatory Commission official as saying the only previous time that water temperature forced Pilgrim to cut its power output was in August of 2003.