Entergy's Unit 1 at the Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) power plant has returned to service, following a major restoration effort.
Prior to restart, the unit needed an extensive restoration, including damage evaluation, repairs to non-nuclear plant components and rescheduling its refueling activities.
The restoration was made compulsory following the collapse of a contractor’s crane on 31 March 2013, while shifting a generator stator out of the turbine building.
Entergy ANO site vice president Jeremy Browning said, "We’d like to thank the community for their outpouring of support at both the local and state levels."
"As a corporate neighbor of the Russellville area, your confidence in us is deeply appreciated. The ANO team is committed to the safety of this plant, the people who work here and those who live in this community," Browning added.
During the event, there was no radiological release and no impact on public health or safety.
The unit was shut down on 24 March 2013 for its scheduled refueling outage.
According to Entergy, the restoration effort saw 55 tons of steel erected and 93 cubic yards of concrete placed – in addition to hundreds of cable installations, switchgear replacements and electrical repairs.