Scottish Power has confirmed that its 430 MW coal fired power plant in Hunter, Utah will be out of action for between four and six months following a short circuit in the generator’s core on November 24. A complete breakdown of this nature is unusual in this type of plant and is thought to have been caused by an insulation breakdown. The plant affected is less than 20 years old and underwent a full maintenance check during 1999.
The cost of buying in electricity while repairs are carried out at the unusually high wholesale prices now current is likely to be around $1 million a day. On release of these figures the utility’s share price was immediately hit, falling 4.1 per cent in three days, although the company and analysts insist that this is an over reaction to a sustainable loss for a company as large as Scottish Power.