Salem 1 nuclear reactor shut down for vegetation blockage

The Salem 1 nuclear reactor was shut down late yesterday and remains that way due to grassing, the blocking of cooling water intakes by vegetation.

It’s not clear when the reactor’s service will be restored.

Weeds and other grasses along the Delaware shoreline have dislodged, floating downstream toward the reactors, as Today’s Sunbeam reports, and Salem 1 and 2 take in and return a combined three billion gallons of river water each day for cooling.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the shutdown, which began as a reduction of power when the grassing started, was handled properly.