Iowa nuclear plant still under repair

Seems like there are a more than usual number of nuclear plants out of commission for repairs.  Maybe not, but any loss of capacity in the summer is cause for concern.   This one and San Onofre in California are in the news.

Fort Calhoun [Iowa] nuclear plant unlikely to restart before fall

Officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Omaha Public Power District met in Blair, a few miles from the plant that's about 20 miles north of Omaha. The meeting is part of the strict oversight regulators have imposed on Fort Calhoun because of problems at the plant.

The NRC's Troy Pruett said he expects the agency will be conducting detailed inspections at Fort Calhoun through the summer. After that, NRC officials will review the situation before deciding whether the plant is ready to restart safely.

Background quote from the article:

Utility officials said earlier this year that they expected to be able to restart Fort Calhoun sometime this spring. Now the restart date is unknown because the NRC will have to sign off on all the repairs and changes OPPD makes to Fort Calhoun before it can restart.

The problems at the plant don't represent a public safety threat, according to regulators and utility officials, but additional scrutiny is required because of them.

As with any complex system, maintenance and high-quality monitoring procedures are going to be required!