Fermi 2 nuke plant idled shortly after restarting

11/16/2007

NEWPORT, Mich. The Fermi 2 nuclear plant, just restarted Tuesday after refueling and maintenance, shut down automatically about 3:15 a.m. yesterday as it was powering up.

DTE Energy, the plant s operator, is investigating the cause of the shutdown. Fermi was at 9 percent power, an output being raised gradually so the plant could put electricity on the grid.

Fermi was idled in late September for its 12th refueling outage since it began operating in 1988. Inspections and maintenance were done as well.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating an unusual event in October when an unexplained quarter-inch hole and five indentations in steam pipes were found. The company ruled out sabotage.