Work resumes at Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear Station following more than $200M investment

The Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Mississippi has returned to operation this month following its extensive, 22nd refueling and maintenance outage, over which more than $200 million were invested into the turbine control system, equipment upgrades, and other reliability systems.

Entergy’s plant first synchronized to the grid again on May 23, only to be taken offline again for continued work on the new system. It officially rejoined the grid on June 2. The shutdown was scheduled — nuclear plants must refuel every 18 to 24 months — so workers could add new fuel and reconfigure existing fuel. It just so happened to have been the perfect time to make other updates as well.

“I am extremely pleased with the nuclear professionalism and teamwork of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station employees, those supporting from the fleet and our dedicated contracting partners during the refueling and maintenance outage,” Chris Bakken, Entergy chief nuclear officer, said. “The team did a phenomenal job of safely refueling the unit, completing important upgrades and maintenance, and returning it to service under extraordinary circumstances of the global pandemic. Our key stakeholders depend on us to keep the clean electricity flowing, and Grand Gulf is a critical part of this country’s infrastructure.”

Grand Gulf first came into service in July 1985, becoming the first nuclear power plant to produce electricity in Mississippi. In 2016, Entergy applied for and received a 20-year license extension for the plant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nowadays, 800 people work there and, during the outage, approximately 1,500 contractors were on-site to help. Upgrades undertaken during the outage will, according to Entergy, keep the facility generating clean, carbon-free electricity for years to come.

“Outages are always complicated and challenging with thousands of tasks and projects, but we were especially challenged with bringing more than 1,500 additional contractors on-site during the COVID-19 global pandemic,” Eric Larson, Grand Gulf site vice president, said. “However, our team responded. Our company has invested millions of dollars in Grand Gulf. The investments and upgrades – with our excellent team – will help ensure the plant continues to provide clean, carbon-free power and be a positive force in our local community.”