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Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) is the only nuclear power plant operating in Massachusetts. It is located in the Manomet section of Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, south of the tip of Rocky Point and north of Priscilla Beach. Like many similar plants, it was constructed by Bechtel, and is powered by a General Electric BWR 3 boiling water reactor inside of a Mark 1 pressure suppression type containment and generator.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Nuclear Information and Resource Service )〕 It has a 690 MW production capacity. Pilgrim Station produces about 14% of the electricity generated in Massachusetts. On October 13, 2015, plant owners announced that it would close by June, 2019, citing "market conditions and increased costs" which would have included tens of millions of dollars of necessary safety upgrades. ==History== Built at a cost of $231 million in 1972 by Boston Edison, it was sold in 1999 to the Louisiana-based Entergy Corporation, part of a complex deal that is the result of deregulation of the electrical utility industry. On April 11, 1986 a recurring equipment problem forced emergency shutdown of the plant. Pilgrim keeps its spent nuclear fuel in an on-site storage pool, waiting for federal direction on the correct disposal process. The Yucca Mountain site in Nevada was being considered for this purpose until its deselection in 2009. Pilgrim's original license to operate would have expired in 2012. In 2006, Entergy filed an application for an extended operating license (until 2032) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In May 2012, the NRC approved the 20-year extension; NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko was the lone dissenting vote. Opposition to Pilgrim's license extension came mainly from Pilgrim Watch, a local group which filed numerous legal and procedural challenges. The state attorney general has also raised questions about, among other issues, the possible danger posed by storage of spent nuclear fuel at the Plymouth site.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nuclear power foes not stilled in N.E. (5/15/09 ) ; Approval nationwide higher than in region )〕 In April 2013 the station increased its security following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. In July 2013, the plant had to reduce output during a heat wave despite very high electricity demand, because the temperature of water drawn from Cape Cod Bay exceeded 75 °F, the limit set by the NRC.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Warming bay water threatens to shut down nuclear reactor - Metro - The Boston Globe )〕 On August 22, 2013, with the plant online at 98% power, all three of the plant's main feedwater pumps tripped causing a drop of the reactor water level. The reactor subsequently tripped. The loss of feedwater and sudden trip from the high power level caused the reactor water level to drop below -46 inches. After passing this point, the emergency core cooling system automatically activated. The RCIC and HPCI systems promptly restored the reactor water level to normal. The cause of the electrical trip to the feedwater pumps is under investigation. On January 27, 2015, the plant underwent a storm-induced unplanned shutdown.〔(【引用サイトリンク】date=February 2, 2015 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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