Entergy’s Grand Gulf 1—the biggest single-unit nuclear energy plant within the U.S.—has thrived for 4 many years by cultivating a tradition of steady enchancment, attaining record-breaking efficiency milestones, and empowering its workforce. The nuclear plant lately revived its worth as a regional powerhouse via a renewed effort by visionary management centered on a dedication to excellence.
When utilizing nuclear power as a home power supply first turned a chance in 1954, Center South utilities eagerly embraced the prospect. The behemoth firm that grew out of a unprecedented ambition to affect the Mid-South 110 years in the past—and in the end advanced into Entergy Corp.—fashioned the Southwest Atomic Power Associates with different utilities in 1957 to discover the brand new power supply. Between 1969 and 1973, the consortium constructed and operated a check fast-breeder reactor close to Fayetteville, Arkansas. The experimental success inspired Center South to ponder tasking every of its 4 working subsidiaries with financing and constructing a nuclear energy plant.
Arkansas Energy and Gentle (AP&L) took on Arkansas Nuclear One, a 1.8-GWe two-unit pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear energy plant positioned outdoors Russellville, Arkansas, which was accomplished with out incident and commenced operations between 1970 and 1980. However different tasks that acquired an organization inexperienced gentle—Mississippi Energy and Gentle’s (MP&L’s) Grand Gulf 1 and a pair of boiling water reactor (BWR) models, and Louisiana Energy and Gentle’s Waterford 3 and 4 PWRs—have been suffering from extreme inflation, regulatory delays, and extra development necessities precipitated by the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear incident.
By the late Seventies, grappling with staggering development prices and the dawning actuality that the system-wide demand in ensuing years can be decrease than forecast, Center South scrapped Waterford 4 and halted development of Grand Gulf 2, regardless that the challenge was 66% full.
Building of Grand Gulf 1 in Port Gibson, Mississippi, continued, nevertheless, regardless of destructive sentiment and important price will increase that ran up its unique price ticket of $1.5 billion to larger than $3 billion (about $8.5 billion in 2023 {dollars}). When it turned obvious that MP&L couldn’t underwrite the challenge by itself, Center South in 1974 created a separate subsidiary, Center South Power (MSE), that might ultimately personal 90% of Grand Gulf, with a bunch of Mississippi cooperatives proudly owning the steadiness.
However as a result of MSE was a wholesale affiliate, the Federal Power Regulatory Fee allotted Grand Gulf’s prices to Center South’s subsidiaries, firing up an acrimonious financing dispute that precipitated a high-profile political controversy among the many states it served. The authorized wrangling about which of Center South’s ratepayers would pay for the associated fee escalation continued for years, even after the 1,100-MWe challenge started business operations on July 1, 1985.
In 1988, the U.S. Supreme Courtroom stepped in and reversed a Mississippi excessive courtroom ruling, successfully approving MP&L’s charge hike whereas setting a precedent that bars states and native governments from interfering with interstate commerce. In 1989, Center South sought to restore fractures and quell the disaster inside its system by absorbing $900 million it invested in Grand Gulf Unit 2 beneath an initiative referred to as “Undertaking Olive Department.” Extra remarkably, the disaster served as a visionary overhaul, and later that 12 months, Center South rebranded beneath a brand new identify—Entergy. At the moment, the multi-billion-dollar power big types a bedrock alongside the Gulf Coast.
Whereas these occasions performed out publicly, Grand Gulf’s champions stayed on track, banking closely on public confidence, intent on a mission to furnish Mississippi with a long-term provide of emission-free energy. “We have been in all probability 60% via with development when TMI occurred,” recalled Randy Hutchinson, a retired Entergy Nuclear government who labored via plant development and startup, and was web site vice chairman for a number of years.
“We’d executed a lot to get to that time. I believe folks understood that we have been all on this collectively, and it was a group effort. Every of us had a job to do, and if all of us did our job proper, we’d achieve success.” The challenge “additionally had robust management from [MP&L President] Don Lutken and [Vice President] Norris Stampley,” Hutchinson added. “They have been visionaries who knew what wanted to be executed. I give them plenty of credit score as a result of a lot of their friends within the trade deserted their tasks—however they by no means wavered.”
A Many years-Lengthy Legacy
For practically 40 years now, Grand Gulf has grown right into a regional powerhouse, offering “secure, clear, carbon-free, reasonably priced power that provides nearly a fifth of Mississippi’s electrical energy whereas serving as one of many largest non-carbon-emitting energy crops on the planet,” Entergy instructed POWER. “In different phrases, the qualities that made Grand Gulf a sound funding within the Seventies are the identical ones that proceed offering advantages for purchasers, communities, and the surroundings at this time.”
However the energy plant is, in lots of respects, a vastly totally different set up than when it first got here on-line. At the moment, Grand Gulf is 90% owned by Entergy subsidiary System Power Assets Inc. (SERI) and 10% by Cooperative Power. Operated by Entergy Operations, the nuclear plant gives power to solely 5 clients: Entergy Arkansas, Entergy Louisiana, Entergy Mississippi, Entergy New Orleans and Cooperative Power.
Whereas the plant’s GE BWR 6 reactor with a Mark III containment was initially licensed in 1984 to supply 3,833 MWth, Entergy in 2012 applied a 13% uprate to 4,408 MWth. The main improve boosted Grand Gulf’s capability to 1,443 MWe, making the unit “the biggest single-unit nuclear energy plant within the nation and the fifth largest on the planet,” Entergy famous. In 2016, the Nuclear Regulatory Fee (NRC) validated the plant’s efficiency document by granting a 20-year license extension, permitting Grand Gulf to function via 2044.
And, in accordance with Brad Kapellas, Grand Gulf’s web site vice chairman, the plant has continued to set efficiency information. In 2021, it set an all-time document of 95% capability issue and all-time information for each gross technology and internet technology in megawatt-hours. In 2022, Grand Gulf achieved the best standing within the NRC’s general efficiency matrix. “To this point in 2023, we’re working within the 98th percentile for capability issue,” he famous.
A Concerted Quest for Stellar Efficiency
Grand Gulf’s outstanding efficiency stems from a strategic strategy extremely deserving of this High Plant award. In February 2020, throughout a refueling and upkeep outage, Entergy got down to implement greater than $200 million in upgrades designed to enhance plant efficiency, probably the most complete of which was a $160 million challenge to switch and improve the present electro-hydraulic turbine management system. The improve was crucial to switch an present system whose gear was out of date, leading to unplanned shutdowns. Whereas the challenge was advanced, it was made extra cumbersome by the COVID-19 pandemic and lasted 93 days. Nonetheless, after Grand Gulf’s return to service, the plant skilled quite a few scrams straight associated to unvalidated vendor assumptions of some gear put in as a part of the turbine controls improve, akin to vibrational results on the primary turbine high-pressure management valve actuator meeting.
“Since 2020, we have now resolved these points, nevertheless it did take us a while to revamp and substitute these actuators,” Kapellas mentioned. However, pivotally, “throughout that interval, we partnered with each our company nuclear leaders and trade friends to actually work on plant reliability points and set up a steady enchancment tradition on the web site,” he mentioned.
An important side of the efficiency enchancment technique concerned creating site-tailored work plans in steady 100-day blocks, which allowed groups to evaluate, determine, prioritize, and succinctly sort out main efficiency gaps. The “100-day” strategy, developed with worldwide trade collaboration, ensured work plans have been manageable and steady but additionally versatile. This system was measured with centered efficiency metrics and built-in a “test and regulate” effort that weighed an motion’s effectiveness and outcomes achieved, Kapellas mentioned. On the identical time, the location adopted a “repair it perpetually” mantra to make sure the problems wouldn’t happen once more.
 |
However as considerably, to make sure the plan remained sustainable, the strategy was closely invested in empowering Grand Gulf’s 800-plus nuclear professionals from its outset. The plan engaged all workers, from company leaders to senior leaders, and cascaded via the front-line supervisors. That helped station leaders develop the workforce and construct the proficiency to maintain efficiency positive aspects.
“It proved a really productive strategy,” Kapellas mentioned. Grand Gulf remained at full energy throughout the excessive warmth of summer time 2023. And the efficiency pattern continues to enhance, he famous. “For instance, in 2021, we had 14 consequential gear failures. In 2022, we minimize that to seven. And so far in 2023, we’ve had one,” he added. General, the trouble has “resulted in improved plant reliability, a greater capability issue, and actually improved work-life steadiness for our workers, that are a number of the most necessary stakeholders in what we do.”
Whereas the plan was distinctive to Grand Gulf, Kapellas famous that the organizational emphasis on embracing and interesting workers is an Entergy Nuclear worth. “Not all organizations are constructed that means, and there are arguments for and in opposition to [operating] at a excessive stage with a really autocratic command and a strict means of doing enterprise,” he mentioned. “I consider this fashion is way more helpful for everyone concerned, and we get higher outcomes due to it.”
In its quest to grow to be an trade chief, Grand Gulf could “nonetheless have room for development and challenges like every energy plant,” Kapellas added. “However this group handles it. We’ve invested simply an unbelievable quantity of power into this proficient workforce, we’ve set very excessive requirements primarily based on comparative trade knowledge, and we assist them to develop methods and actions with that long-term view in thoughts,” he mentioned.
—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior affiliate editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).
