Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio has returned to service following refueling and installation of two new steam generators. The outage began on February 1, 2014.
The two-loop 900MW B&W reactor is operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC).
Installation of the components was a massive undertaking, with each measuring 74 feet in length, 12 feet in diameter and weighing 470 tons. More than 2300 temporary contractors and FENOC employees from the company’s other nuclear plants supplemented the Davis-Besse workforce to complete the outage projects.
"Installation of the steam generators will help us meet our long-term objective of remaining a safe, reliable source of electricity while providing high-paying jobs and tax revenues that support the economic health of Northwest Ohio," said Ray Lieb, site vice president, Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station prior to the outage.
While the plant was shut down, 80 of Davis-Besse’s 177 fuel assemblies were exchanged and numerous safety inspections and preventative maintenance activities were completed on components throughout the plant.
The steam generators were manufactured and shipped by Babcock & Wilcox Canada Ltd. (B&W Canada) after an extensive six-year planning and manufacturing process. The units were designed and manufactured in B&W Canada’s Cambridge, Ontario facility, which houses North America’s largest clean room for nuclear component assembly. They arrived at the Davis-Besse site in October 2013.
Davis Besse’s current operating licence expires in 2017, but operator FENOC submitted a 20-year life extension application in 2010, and the renewal process now seems to be quite advanced. The draft supplemental environmental impact statement was issued in February, and a public comment period on it ended in April.
Photo: Replacement steam generators for the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant
