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Columbia Generating Station Information
RICHLAND, Wash. – Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant was shutdown at 9:22 a.m. today for repairs to a utility transformer at the 1150-megawatt facility.
The transformer is located in a building adjacent to the reactor building and serves as a backup power supply for plant systems. It was damaged by a minor fire Saturday afternoon; however the plant remained safely on-line, generating power until this morning.
Energy Northwest officials are using the shutdown to place equipment for the upcoming biennial refueling outage slated to begin May 12. Work to repair the damaged transformer system is expected to be completed quickly and an extended outage is not anticipated.
All of the power generated from Columbia goes to the Bonneville Power Administration for distribution throughout the western United States.
Energy Northwest was the first Joint Operating Agency formed in Washington and is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. In addition to Columbia Generating Station, Energy Northwest also owns and operates wind, solar and hydro power generation facilities in the state.