River Bend Transmission Reliability Improvement Project 

Transmission Project Improves Reliability at River Bend

A project that improves the reliability of transmission serving Entergy's River Bend Station nuclear power plant near St. Francisville, Louisiana went into service in May.

The project was completed safely, on-time, and within budget, thanks to the concerted efforts between the transmission project team and their River Bend counterparts. During the plant’s refueling outage, asset management personnel completed all electrical and relay work under a challenging refuel schedule.

A Job Well Done

“The work you did has significantly contributed to a River Bend success story and will improve off site power reliability in a manner that will ensure the customer reaps maximum benefits from nuclear generation. This has been a very safe refueling outage for River Bend so far, and you helped make that happen,” was how John McGaha, EOI president summed up the project.

How Reliability Was Bolstered

Timely completion of this project increased the level of reliable transmission service for the interface between the nuclear-powered generating plant and Entergy’s transmission system.

The transmission system is the primary source of electrical power needed to achieve and maintain safe shutdown conditions of the nuclear unit. Given this critical role, transmission service be must free of transients, rather than simply being a conduit of unit generation into the system.  To ensure the right outcome, a joint nuclear-transmission team identified critical components or systems that should be replaced, refurbished, or reconfigured.

At River Bend, the transmission interface included three 230kV transformer yards just outside the generating plant, the nearby Fancy Point 230kV Switchyard, and three 3/4-mile long transmission lines that connect River Bend and Fancy Point.

Improvements to these facilities included replacing two large circuit breakers serving the generator output line, and  replacing numerous disconnect switches, voltage/current instrument transformers, and surge arresters.  Relaying systems that provide protection and control of the three transmission lines were upgraded, and insulators and other hardware were inspected and refurbished on the lines and in both yards.

Timing The Work

Nuclear plant refueling, which takes place approximately every 18 months, is the only time that much of the electrical systems can be shut down for planned maintenance or improvements.

The River Bend project began in late-2003.  The first phase of construction was completed in November 2004 during the plant’s refueling outage #RF12. The next phase of construction was completed in January 2006, with the plant in normal operation.  The final phase of construction was completed in May 2006, during the plant’s most recent refueling outage #RF13 .

Kudos For Teamwork

      In addition to McGaha’s comment above, completion of this project earned recognition from several quarters.

      Randy Helmick, transmission vice president noted: “Thanks to you and your team for getting this critical work done ahead of schedule - SAFELY.   Proud to have professionals like all of you in the transmission organization.  Outstanding job!”

“Great job. This is a great example of outstanding team work. Good planning and great execution. Good communications process to keep everyone informed. Ahead of schedule and tremendous focus on safety. Congratulations,” wrote Mike Laborde, Louisiana grid manager to grid supervisor Charles Long, who played a major role interfacing with River Bend operations.