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Columbia Generating Station Information
RICHLAND, Wash. – Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station nuclear power plant reconnected to the northwest power grid and began delivering power at approximately 3:45 p.m. today.
Energy Northwest shut down the 1150-megawatt plant Monday morning to aid repairs to a small utility transformer damaged by a minor fire Saturday afternoon. The fire was quickly extinguished and damage was limited to the transformer.
Repairs to the damaged transformer were completed and plant workers took advantage of the temporary shut down by pre-positioning scaffolding and other equipment needed for an upcoming biennial refueling outage slated to begin May 12.
During the start-up process, cooling water drawn from the Columbia River and used to cool plant systems temporarily overflowed from one of six cooling towers at the site, causing some temporary shallow flooding in the vicinity of the towers. The spilled water had no impact on the health and safety of plant workers or the public.
All of the power generated from Columbia Generating Station 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.