Pilgrim nuclear plant offline because of storm outage

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power StationDavid L Ryan/Globe staff/file

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth could be offline for days after a storm-related outage shut down two of the major lines carrying electricity from the generating facility.

Officials said the problem is similar to one that hit during a 2013 blizzard, and poses no safety threat. The lines failed about 4 a.m., at a time when Pilgrim’s output had already been reduced to 20 percent because of storm-related conditions on the electrical grid.

“All safety systems worked as designed and plant conditions are currently stable,” said plant spokeswoman Lauren Burm. “There’s no threat to the safety of plant workers or the public.”

She said it could be days before Pilgrim resumes normal operations, but that the plant would be able to stay offline for much longer than that without safety concerns.

Speaking at a morning news conference, state energy secretary Matthew A. Beaton said he had received no reports of the storm causing broader problems with the electrical grid.