LUSBY, Md. (March 14, 2016)—Operators returned Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 to full power yesterday afternoon, following a planned refueling outage that started on February 15. While the unit was offline, technicians replaced nearly one-third of the reactor's fuel and performed maintenance activities, tests and safety inspections on a variety of plant components and systems to enhance safety and equipment reliability. Many of these activities cannot be performed while the unit is online.
To execute this important work, Calvert Cliffs hired an additional 1,500 workers, mostly from regional labor halls. Those workers provide a boost to the local economy at a time when tourism is typically low.
"During Calvert's annual refueling outages, the hotels are booked, the restaurants are full, and it is a great time to be a business owner in Calvert County," said Linda Vassallo, director of the Calvert County Department of Economic Development.
Unit 2 remained online during the Unit 1 refueling outage.
Calvert Cliffs is located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County and is Maryland's only nuclear energy facility. The station is home to two pressurized water reactors capable of generating 1,756 megawatts combined. Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in 1975 and 1977, respectively.