Pickering loses third reactor to downtime (Canada)

[jpak]

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/237947

A third reactor at Pickering generating station was taken out of service yesterday, leaving Ontario's electricity system with a dwindling supply of power to get it through the summer heat.

Ontario Power Generation said Pickering B reactor unit 5 was taken out of service "for a short maintenance outage." The company plans to inspect and service valve and pump seals on the reactor's primary heat transport system.

Pickering A units 1 and 4, refurbished in 2005 and 2003 respectively, have been down for maintenance since early June and are expected to remain offline for most of the summer as work continues on a backup electrical system.

Terry Young, a spokesperson for the Independent Electricity System Operator, which manages supply and demand on the grid, said the loss of a third reactor could put strain on the system, but so far the weather has been co-operating.

<more>

[Dogmudgeon]

1. The Great Ontario Wind and Solar Grid will pick up the slack!

Once those extra 71 megawatt-hours kick in, Toronto can host as many rock festivals as it wants!

Take THAT, you mean old nukey-pukeys!

--p!

[Kolesar]

2. That was dumb...eom

[NNadir]

3. Yes, in fact it was.

There is no great renewable energy sources to take up the slack.

100% of the time when a nuclear power plant is off line it is replaced by burning dangerous fossil fuels and dumping dangerous fossil fuel waste.

Ontario, by the way, unlike say Germany, has a program to phase out coal. This is why they are maintaining their nucleaer capacity.