Progress NC nuclear plant tests back-up generator

HOUSTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Progress Energy Inc's (PGN.N) 1,875-megawatt Brunswick nuclear power station in North Carolina remained shut Tuesday as testing on the emergency diesel generator system continued, a company spokesman said

The spokesman gave no timeline for the return of units, but said operators were testing the station's back-up diesel generators and performing other work that can only be done when the plant is shut.

Operators took the two Brunswick reactors offline Sunday, after scheduled work could not be completed on the diesel generator within a seven-day period as required under nuclear operating rules, the spokesman said.

Previously the units had been operating at full power, according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission report.

There are two units at the Brunswick station, the 938-MW Unit 1 and the adjacent 937-MW Unit 2, located in Southport, North Carolina, about 160 miles south of Raleigh.

One MW powers about 700 homes in North Carolina.

In 2006, the NRC renewed the plant's original 40-year operating licenses for both units for another 20 years until 2034 and 2036, respectively.

Progress Energy operates the station for its owners, Progress (81.7 percent) and North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (18.3 percent).

Progress, of Raleigh, owns and operates more than 21,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes electricity to about 3.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. (Reporting by Eileen O'Grady; Editing by Christian Wiessner)