Oyster Creek Back At Full Power After Repairs

The nation’s oldest nuclear power plant has returned to full power after repairs were made to a leaky condenser tube.

The Oyster Creek plant had powered down slightly early Wednesday so crews could complete the work. It was then restored to full power around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The plant in Lacey Township generates enough electricity to power 600,000 homes a year and provides 9 percent of New Jersey’s electricity.

Oyster Creek’s owners have decided to shut the plant down in 2019, ten years ahead of schedule.

It went online Dec. 1, 1969, the same day as the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station near Oswego, N.Y. But Oyster Creek’s original license was granted first, making it the oldest of the nation’s 104 commercial nuclear reactors still operating.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)