Fermi 2 may be off line for months

FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - DTE Energy Co. says it may take months before the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant returns to full power because of the substantial repairs needed on a reactor water pump.

The plant has been running at reduced power since July and has been off line since Nov. 7, when operators saw that water in part of the cooling system for the generator contained higher than normal amounts of hydrogen.

The 1,100 megawatt reactor is next to Lake Erie in Monroe County's Frenchtown Township, near Monroe.

DTE tells the Monroe Evening News it can't predict when the plant will return to full power.

The plant was operating at 68 percent of power when it shut down. Operators reduced the power because of damage to a pump in June.