RICHLAND, Wash. – Energy Northwest has safely returned Columbia Generating Station to service after reconnecting the plant to the regional power grid yesterday at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Columbia was taken offline on Feb. 12 to address an equipment issue with a cooling system that supports its reactor recirculation pumps.
While the station was offline, workers completed repairs, performed thorough testing, and verified the performance of equipment. The station remained in a safe, stable condition throughout the outage and restart activities.
“From start to finish, we kept safety and operational excellence at the forefront,” said Dawn Sileo, executive vice president and chief nuclear officer. “Our team demonstrated strong teamwork, thorough analysis and rigor as we worked to resolve the issue and return the plant to reliable operations.”
Columbia Generating Station is a 1,207 megawatt electric (gross) nuclear power plant located 20 miles north of Richland. It is the only commercial nuclear energy facility in the Pacific Northwest and plays a key role in providing reliable, carbon free electricity to the region. Columbia is scheduled for its next planned refueling outage in March 2027.
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Media Contacts
Kelly Rae, Energy Northwest
klrae@energy-northwest.com
Angela Smith, Energy Northwest
adsmith@energy-northwest.com
About Energy Northwest
Energy Northwest is a Washington state public power joint operating agency and a premier provider of carbon-free electricity. Energy Northwest comprises 29 public power member utilities, serving more than 1.5 million customers, and provides its members and regional customers with safe, reliable, cost-effective, responsible power generation and innovative energy and business solutions. The agency owns and operates hydroelectric, solar, battery storage, wind and the Northwest’s only nuclear power facility. Energy Northwest also actively supports transportation electrification and new generation projects to the benefit of public power.