The nuclear power plant at Palo, Iowa is temporarily shut down. Power company spokeswoman Maureen Brown says engineers are doing routine maintenance and refueling the plant. Brown says they’ve scheduled the work now before power demand increases for the summer.There’s no timetable for how long the power plant will be down, but customers won’t notice. Their electricity will be supplied by other power plants. Brown says about a third of the nuclear power cells will be replaced. Managers are seeking government permission to add more storage space for that old nuclear fuel. She says it’s a step they’ve had to take because the federal government still hasn’t come up with a depository for the spent fuel.The plant pumps out enough power for 400-thousand homes. Brown says taking the Palo plant off-line in the spring avoids the peak usage seasons of winter and summer.
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