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Callaway Nuclear Plant Back Online

Missouri's sole nuclear power plant is back online after being shut down for more than three weeks.

Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center was taken off line July 26 after an electrical arc caused a small fire.  The plant resumed operations Sunday morning.  Spokesman Cleve Reasoner says the arc was triggered when a ventilation louver came loose and got too close to the power cables.

"Testing confirmed that there was no impact to the major components," Reasoner said. "So the repairs were those that were associated directly with correction of the arc damage."

Reasoner says the arc fire happened on the power production side of the plant, away from the nuclear reactor, and that there were no radiation issues during the fire or while the plant was shut down.  Other Ameren Missouri plants increased power production while Callaway was off line.

Reasoner says the plant generates about 20 percent of the electricity provided for Ameren Missouri's 1.2 million customers.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:   @MarshallGReport

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Marshall Griffin is the Statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.
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