The Millstone 2 nuclear plant (880 MWe PWR) in Connecticut restarted in May after a Superior Court judge ruled against a lawsuit filed by the environmental group Fish Unlimited. The conservation group claimed the power station was detrimental to the winter flounder population in Niantic Bay, but the judge ruled that overfishing, rather than the nuclear plant, was responsible for the decline.
Millstone 2 had been shut down for more than three years because of Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerns over management handling of safety issues.
The reactor’s successful startup signals the completion of Millstone’s recovery, said Lee Olivier, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. Millstone 3, the first of three units at the site to resume operation, restarted last year after a shutdown of comparable length.
Millstone 1 (660 MWe BWR), the oldest and smallest of three nuclear units at the site, remains shut down. In July 1998, the utility decided to close it permanently and prepare for decommissioning after an analysis showed that continued operation would produce, at best, small economic benefits.
