Heat wave shuts down Alabama reactor

mdsolar writes: "In a first for the US, one of three nuclear reactors at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama has been shut down because the Tennessee River is too hot to provide adequate cooling for the waste heat produced by the reactor. This is happening as the TVA faces it's highest demand for power ever reports the Houston Chronicle. This effect has been seen in Europe in the past forcing reduced generation, but the US has, until now, been immune to the problem. The TVA will buy power elsewhere and impose higher rates, owing to reduced river flow as a result of drought."