Chapter 42: New Reactors, Old Mentors
"Alright, James. The rest of the reactor fleet is ready to go. How is our grid looking?" asked Aaron, as he entered the control room.
"Well, the grid is stable, and we can handle the load of four 400 MW reactors. However, I would recommend that we only bring them online one at a time, to avoid overloading the grid." said James, his voice steady.
"OK fuel loading reactor number 2," said Aaron.
With a few keystrokes, drones began to load the reactor core with fuel rods. The pumps began to circulate the pressurized heavy water coolant and moderator, and the reactor slowly came to life, its deep rumble muted by the thick lead shielding and the control room’s soundproofing.
"Reactor 2 approaching critical, turbines spooling up," reported Aaron.
"Relays are stable, power is ramping up," reported James over the intercom.
"Reactor 2 is now at 100% power. James, switch the grid to internal power," said Aaron, as he watched the reactor’s power output stabilize.
"Switching to internal power," said James, as the lights in the control room flickered and then stabilized.
"Excellent. James, how much surplus are we selling back to the State Grid?" asked Aaron.
"Works out to $20,000 per hour as of now," said James.
"Well, that number’s about to grow," said Aaron, as he started the fuel loading sequence for reactor 3.