STP’s Unit 1 began its 25th scheduled refueling and maintenance outage on Friday, Oct. 4, when the unit was safely taken offline to conduct work.
Hundreds of industry craftspeople and specialists from across the country have come to the South Texas Project to support plant Operators, maintenance, and technical personnel as they refuel the reactor and conduct maintenance activities for the unit’s ongoing reliability.
“Our purpose at STP is to power the lives of Texans, our families and communities, for today and tomorrow,” said Kym Harshaw, STP’s Chief Nuclear Officer and Acting President and Chief Executive Officer.
“We are committed to fulfilling that purpose with safety and reliability every step of the way.”
During the Unit 1 outage, about one-third of the reactor’s fuel assemblies will be replaced with new ones.
In addition, thousands of maintenance activities are scheduled to enhance equipment reliability and numerous plant systems and components will be tested and inspected.
STP’s two units are on an 18-month refueling cycle.
“We have completed significant planning and preparation for this outage and will be conducting a large scope of work over the coming weeks. This work will keep Unit 1 reliable throughout the next operating cycle,” said Harshaw.
STP schedules refueling outages in the spring and fall when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electrical demand is lowest.
The plant is managed by the STP Nuclear Operating Company and owned by Constellation, CPS Energy, and Austin Energy.
