The Omaha Public Power District hopes to restart its Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in September.
The nuclear plant about 20 miles north of Omaha has been shut
down since April 2011 because of last summer's flooding along the
Missouri River and safety concerns regulators identified.
The utility is working with federal regulators to thoroughly
inspect Fort Calhoun and make sure it is safe before restarting.
OPPD's Dave Bannister said Friday that the utility tentatively
plans to restart Fort Calhoun in late September. But the schedule
could change if any new issues are found during this summer's
inspections.
The timing of the restart means OPPD will again have to purchase
electricity from other sources to meet summer demand, but officials
don't expect rate increases this year because of that.
