Farley 2 begins Fall 2026 refueling outage

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Farley 2, Ashford, Alabama.

Farley 2 began a routine refueling outage on Oct 19, 2026, 1 day later than the scheduled start date of Oct 18, 2026. The outage has a scheduled duration of 27 days. Prior to this event, the unit had run for about 16 months without an unscheduled outage and completed about 91% of its typical 548-day operating cycle.

ASHFORD, AL. Farley 2 came offline on Oct 19, 2026 for refueling. The published schedule called for a start on Oct 18, 2026; actual is 1 day later than planned. Planned outage length is 27 days (back to service around Nov 14, 2026).

Going into the refueling, the unit had run for about 16 months without an unscheduled outage. NukeWorker's start-date projection scores 100% accuracy for this unit.

Across the U.S. fleet of 94 commercial reactors, today's combined capacity factor is 80.8% (18 units currently refueling), below the 81.8% baseline for this month over the past five years. At the same site, Farley 1 is running at full power. Comanche Peak 1 and Waterford 3 also began refueling outages within the past week. With the unit offline for refueling, that takes about 717,000 homes' worth of generation off the grid.

Farley 2 is an 896-MW Westinghouse 3-loop PWR operated by Southern Nuclear (commercial operation since 1981). The utility operates both units at this site and 6 more at 2 other U.S. plants. Its operating license runs through 2041 (renewed in 2005). The unit ran at a 74.0% capacity factor in 2025, with some downtime through the year.

Heading to Ashford, AL for outage work? D&Z holds the radiation protection staffing contract here. D&Z's Fall 2026 outage list includes this outage, with senior and junior RP tech and decon positions. Current per-diem averages $113/night lodging plus $68/day meals (total $181/day), and Unemployment Benefits are $275 weekly. Alabama taxes wages on a graduated scale, about 4.8% effective. NukeWorker lists 7 open nuclear jobs in Alabama.

View Farley 2's ratings, history, projections, and current status on NukeWorker.

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Sources: NRC Daily Reactor Power Status reports, validated outage schedules, and NukeWorker's projections.