Long Island Sound’s water usually cools down key components of the plant and later that water discharged back into the estuary.
Millstone Power Station spokesman Ken Holt told Associated Press that Unit 2 of the nuclear plant has occasionally shut for maintenance or other issues, but in its 37-year history it has never shut due to excessively warm water.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the water cannot be warmer than 75 degrees and following the hottest July on record has been averaging 1.7 degrees above the limit.
The federal agency issued an emergency license amendment last week allowing Dominion Resources subsidiary Millstone to use an average temperature of several readings.
"It wasn’t enough to prevent us from shutting down," Holt said.
Holt added that in addition to the extreme heat in July, the mild winter did not help because it kept Long Island Sound water unusually mild.
