One of the reactors at Plant Hatch in southeast Georgia near Vidalia is operating at 40 percent capacity today. Officials with Southern Company say it’s due to a non-safety issue.

Company spokeswoman Carrie Phillips says a pump that re-circulates water in the reactor showed a speed control problem late Monday afternoon:

“It’s necessary for power production and that’s why the production level is less because we only have one pump currently operating. But it has no impact on the safety of the plant.”

Phillips could not give an estimated time for the reactor to return to full operation.

Plant Hatch sits alongside the Altamaha River. Southern Company says it supplies on average more than 9 percent of Georgia’s electricity needs.

Tags: Southeast Georgia, Southern Company, Vidalia, Plant Hatch, nuclear power