Reuters
October 22, 2009 - 12:00 a.m. EST

(Reuters) - American Electric Power Co Inc (AEP.N) planned to restart the 1,009-megawatt Unit 1 at the Cook nuclear power station in Michigan by the end of 2009 but not in October, a spokesman for the plant said Wednesday.

In previous statements, AEP said it expected Unit 1 to return in 2009 as early as October, the spokesman said in an email. He said October was the best case scenario for a return from projections early in the year.

The spokesman said the unit would not return in October but the company still expected the unit to return in 2009.

Unit 1 shut on Sept. 20, 2008 after rotor blades on two of the three low pressure turbines broke. AEP has said Unit 1 could return as soon as October at reduced output of about 900 MW following the repair of some of the rotors.

The company also said in the past it did not expect the unit to return to full power until the fall of 2011 when the repaired rotors were replaced.

If the repairs were not successful for an October restart, the company had said, it could remain shut until 2011.

AEP said the estimated $330 million cost to fix Unit 1 would be covered by warranty and insurance.

The 2,069 MW Cook station is located in Bridgman in Berrien County about 80 miles east of Chicago. There are two units at the station, the 1,009 MW Unit 1 and the 1,060 MW Unit 2, which entered service in 1975 and 1978. The NRC renewed the units' original 40-year operating licenses in 2005 for another 20 years to 2034 and 2037.

Unit 2 meanwhile continued to operate at full power early Wednesday, according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission report.

One MW powers about 800 homes in Michigan.

AEP, of Columbus, Ohio, owns and operates more than 38,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities, and transmits and distributes electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino)