Tagged: entergy

Officials at Louisiana’s nuclear power plants are monitoring the progress of now-Tropical Storm Isaac, but say there have been no problems thus far.

Mike Bowling, spokesman for Entergy Nuclear, says the Waterford 3 plant, located in Killona, La. came offline at 5 p.m. yesterday, and has a core team of about 100 employees remaining on site.

The River Bend plant, located in St. Francisville, remains 100% operational, with a sequestered team on site as well.

Entergy says Hurricane Isaac has knocked out power to more than 450,000 residential and commercial in southeast Louisiana.

The company's website indicates that those included more than 150,000 in New Orleans, about 160,000 in Jefferson Parish, some 15,700 in St. Bernard, about 10,800 in Plaquemines, 27,300 in Lafourche, 16,000 in St. Charles, 16,700 in St. John the Baptist and 17,700 in Terrebonne Parish.

Officials say crews are not able to start repairs until winds drop below 30 or 35 mph, which is likely to be Thursday at the earliest.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has dispatched additional personnel to two nuclear plants in Louisiana in response to the expected landfall of Tropical Storm Isaac.

Utility crews are surveying the power lines and thousands of utility workers from other states are on standby, as Louisiana power companies readied for Tropical Storm Isaac.

Fresh in minds around the state's capital city was Hurricane Gustav, which struck as a Category 2 storm in 2008 — and surprised Baton Rouge with power outages that lasted 10 days or more in many areas.

Public Service Commissioner Jimmy Field, who represents the Baton Rouge area, says he's confident power companies are ready for Isaac, expected to strike as a hurricane.

Entergy’s utility companies in Louisiana are continuing to monitor Tropical Storm Isaac and are preparing for its potential impact on the City of New Orleans and the state.