South Carolina nuke plant back at full power

NEW YORK -- - North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corp.'s 1,129-megawatt unit 1 at the Catawba nuclear station in South Carolina returned to full power recently, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in its power reactor status report.

On January 19, the unit was operating at 61 percent of capacity to fix a seal leak in a feedwater pump. The company reduced the unit to about 60 percent on Jan. 12. The reactor can only operate at about 60 percent of capacity while one of its two feedwater pumps is out of service.

The 2,258 Catawba station is located in Lake Wylie in York County about 20 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina. There are two 1,129 MW units 1 and 2 at Catawba.

Unit 2, meanwhile, continued to run at full power.

One megawatt powers about 1,000 homes, according to the North American average.

Duke Energy's regulated Duke Power subsidiary operates the Catawba station for its owners. Duke Power owns and operates about 19,900 MW of generating capacity and transmits and delivers electricity to more than two million customers in North and South Carolina.

North Carolina Electric Membership (56.25 percent), Duke (25 percent) and Saluda River Electric Co-op (18.75 percent) own unit 1.

North Carolina Municipal Power (75 percent) and Piedmont Municipal Power (25 percent) own unit 2.