Reactor 's output is almost at full power

One of Plant Vogtle's two nuclear power reactors was approaching full power Monday after two shutdowns last week for unrelated mechanical problems.

"The unit is at 94 percent power today," said Beth Thomas, a spokeswoman for Southern Nuclear, which operates the plant near Waynesboro, Ga.

Vogtle's Unit 1 was idled Dec. 7 by an equipment malfunction, then shut down again Dec. 8 when workers who were bringing it online noticed high vibrations.

"At the time of the second shutdown workers were in the process of syncing it back to the grid, and there were indications of vibrations inside the turbine," she said. "In accordance with standard procedure, workers shut down the unit."

Crews investigating the incident concluded the vibration was caused by friction in the mechanical components of the turbine.

"It has since been repaired and plant personnel are performing other maintenance activities before bringing it up to full service."

Jeff Wilson, a Georgia Power spokesman, said he could not divulge the cost of the shutdown in terms of lost revenues from the 1,230-megawatt unit.

"Information regarding the cost of the current outage is not available and would be a trade secret if it were available," he said, noting that the costs could vary depending on the electricity demand at the time of the outage.

Company officials have said in the past, however, that the shutdown of a single unit at Vogtle costs about $1 million a day in lost revenue.

Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.