A water leak at Oyster Creek Generating Station has forced the nation's oldest nuclear power plant to operate at reduced capacity as it nears the final month before closure, federal officials said.

The leak is in a tube in a feed-water heater and the plant's owner, Exelon Generation, has taken the heater out of service causing the plant to produce about 70 percent of its usual power, Neil Sheehan, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman said.

Sheehan said there are no concerns about the leak causing contaminated water in Barnegat Bay, its cooling water source, or affecting plant employees because the reactor's system works on a closed loop.

The reactors turn water into steam, which rotates a turbine to generate electricity. The leftover steam is cooled and converted into water before it starts the cycle over again, he said.

Residents won't notice a difference in their electricity supply because Oyster Creek is part of a larger grid.

Oyster Creek is the oldest operating commercial nuclear power plant in the nation, according to the NRC and is slated to completely stop generating electricity Sept. 17.

About a decade ago, New Jersey officials informed Exelon that it would need to add costly cooling towers in order to continue operating for the next 20 years, Sheehan said. The state and the company reached an agreement that the company didn't have to add the towers if it agreed to close after just 10 years.

Once it stops generating energy, the plant must undergo the lengthy process of being decommissioned or cleaned, according to Suzanne D' Ambrosio, the Oyster Creek Communications manager.  

In late July, Camden-based Holtec International announced it will purchase Oyster Creek and take over the plant's spent nuclear waste and it's decommissioning trust fund, worth about $980 million.

Exelon estimated that cost to restore the site to its original state would cost near $1.4 billion.

Holtec International must obtain permission from the NRC before it can take over Exelon's license for Oyster Creek. The NRC is hosting a public meeting about the license transfer at 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland at 1 p.m. on Aug. 15.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Source:  https://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2018/08/water_leak_at_nj_nuclear_plant_means_less_power_ou.html