The plant, which entered the outage on April 15, has returned to service and the outage followed an 18-month operating cycle.

The outage was the 19th for the power station since it commenced commercial operation in 1984.

In 2004, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the power station a 20-year extension to its operating license, allowing the facility to operate through 2042.

SCE&G is a regulated public utility engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to about 663,000 customers in South Carolina.

The company also provides natural gas service to about 315,000 customers throughout the state.