South Jersey Nuclear Plant Goes Offline For Refueling

A southern New Jersey nuclear plant has gone offline for refueling and maintenance.

Operators at the Salem 1 plant shut its reactor down as planned at 8 p.m. Sunday. But it’s not yet clear when it will return to service.

While the plant’s offline, hundreds of staffers and contractors will replace some equipment and perform maintenance work on numerous other items. They also will inspect vital equipment to make sure its operating correctly and efficiently.

The Salem 1 plant is one of three reactors operated by PSEG Nuclear at its Artificial Island complex in Lower Alloways Creek Township. The three plants in Salem County produce enough electricity to power 3 million homes.

The sites other two plants — Salem II and Hope Creek — are not affected by the work.