Point Beach Nuclear Plant

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Point Beach Nuclear Plant
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Point Beach Nuclear Plant
Point Beach Nuclear Plant
CountryUnited States
LocationTown of Two Creeks, Manitowoc County, near Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Coordinates 44°16′52″N87°32′12″W / 44.28111°N 87.53667°W / 44.28111; -87.53667
StatusOperational
Construction beganUnit 1: July 19, 1967
Unit 2: July 25, 1968
Commission date Unit 1: December 21, 1970
Unit 2: October 1, 1972
Construction costUnit 1: $60.6 million, 1971 USD ($452 million, 2023 USD)
Unit 2: $54.3 million, 1972 USD ($392 million, 2023 USD) [1]
Owner(s) NextEra Energy Resources
Operator(s) NextEra Energy Resources
Employees400 [2]
Nuclear power station
Reactor type PWR
Reactor supplier Westinghouse
Cooling source Lake Michigan
Thermal capacity2 × 1800 MWth
Power generation
Units operational2 × 625 MW
Make and model WH 2-loop (DRYAMB)
Nameplate capacity 1182 MW
Capacity factor 96.87% (2019)
82.80% (lifetime)
Annual net output 10,077 GWh (2022)
External links
Website Point Beach Nuclear Plant
Commons Related media on Commons
[ edit on Wikidata]

Point Beach Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant located on Lake Michigan in the town of Two Creeks, Wisconsin, United States. The plant was built by Wisconsin Electric Power Company (now We Energies, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation), and previously operated by the Nuclear Management Company. The plant is currently owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources (prior to 2009 – FPL Energy), of Juno Beach, Florida.

Contents

The plant is composed of two, two-loop Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. There is also a visitors' center located just south of the administration building.

Construction for Unit 1 began in 1966 and it was placed into commercial operation in December 1970. Unit 2 was placed into commercial operation in September 1972. The plant was built for a total cost of $114.9 million ($844 million, 2023 USD). [3]

The entire site covers 1,050 acres; approximately 70 acres are used for the nuclear power plant and transmission yard infrastructure and the remaining land used for agriculture or solar arrays. [4]

Point Beach Nuclear Plant - September 2023 Point Beach Nuclear Plant.jpg
Point Beach Nuclear Plant - September 2023

History

The original letter of intent to purchase a single 454 megawatt (MW) nuclear unit from Westinghouse Electric Company for a fixed-price was issued by Wisconsin Electric and Wisconsin Michigan Power Company (a Wisconsin Electric subsidiary) [5] on December 30, 1965. The right was reserved to order a second, duplicate unit under the same terms. In May, 1966, the announcement was made that the plant would be built on a 1,200-acre site in the town of Two Creeks.

On November 28, 1966, following Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) endorsement and a brief public hearing, Alfred Gruhl, Glenn Reed, and Sol Burstein [6] turned the first symbolic spades of dirt for the official ground-breaking. In May, 1967, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), predecessor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), issued the official construction permit (number 32) for Point Beach Unit 1. The Unit 2 construction permit (number 47) was issued approximately a year later. [6]

On October 5, 1970, the AEC issued its full-term, full-power Operating License (DPR-24) for Point Beach Unit 1. The loading fuel into the reactor commenced almost immediately. On November 2, 1970, operators achieved initial criticality, with the nuclear-powered electricity being produced four days later, on November 6. Full commercial service was reached on December 21, 1970, just 49 months from the initial groundbreaking ceremony. After delays from nuclear power opponents, Unit 2 was granted a full-term, full-power operating license (DPR-27) on March 8, 1973, almost 1+1⁄2 years behind the original schedule. [6]

Due to steam generator tube degradation and failures caused by intergranular stress corrosion cracking, Unit 1 was operated at approximately 75-80% of full power from December 1979 until October 1983, when replacement steam generators were installed. [7] The Unit 2 steam generators were replaced in 1996–1997. [8]

In 2005, the NRC approved the initial license renewal application for the Point Beach plant, extending the operating license from forty years to sixty. [9] [10] in 2011, the NRC approved a 17% increase in power output (a.k.a. extended power uprate) from both units. This entailed significant upgrades to several plant systems and components, including safety-related pumps and valves, as well as the turbine-generator sets. [11]

NextEra Energy Resources purchased the plant from Wisconsin Electric Power Company in October 2007. [12] As part of the sale, We Energies agreed to repurchase all of the power produced by the plant for at least 20 years. In 2000–2007 the plant was managed by the Nuclear Management Company.

Owners submitted applications for subsequent license extension (60 years to 80 years) for both reactors to the NRC in November 2020. The decision announcement was expected in July 2022, however this was delayed as the NRC required additional environmental impact evaluation be completed. A NRC public meeting was held on February 17, 2021 to solicit public comments on the scope of the environmental review.

Most of the power from this plant goes to the Green Bay area and communities along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Southeastern Wisconsin. The plant is connected to the grid by four 345 kV lines, one of which travels northwest towards Green Bay and then on to the We Energies North Appleton substation located about 12 miles north of Appleton, Wisconsin, and the other one interconnecting with the now-closed [13] Kewaunee Nuclear Generating Station located a short distance away to the north from Point Beach. The other 345 kV lines going out of the plant go south towards Milwaukee. Several 138 kV lines going out of the plant supply electricity to the surrounding area.

In November 2020, construction of the nearby 150 MW Two Creeks Solar Park was completed, at a cost of $195 million. The solar farm is located several miles southwest of the nuclear plant.

Electricity generation

Point Beach generated 10,077 GWh in 2022, 16.5% of all electricity produced in Wisconsin.

Generation (MWh) Point Beach Power Plant [14] (Nuclear Only) [15]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal (Annual)
2001747,957634,093750,906433,802562,905693,537728,365707,943569,003742,015734,847739,6958,045,068
2002751,028624,538753,521505,585574,254730,869746,848751,595520,408532,423734,354754,6567,980,079
2003753,611689,821765,308682,667743,000735,053587,460755,886690,771405,146479,990767,6238,056,336
2004768,940714,409760,799395,417323,118620,125759,345763,343738,197734,412668,786767,0768,013,967
2005766,668687,003765,872379,312378,941366,707588,370753,784646,520384,587436,960718,9796,873,703
2006767,529692,841761,705744,257763,705736,477763,706745,747731,483556,789527,817768,3608,560,416
2007765,914694,126765,807370,255668,624576,726758,404747,943656,843764,043750,088765,7408,284,513
2008580,167667,760770,034426,997597,286738,617759,633741,942728,096427,927566,303762,4537,767,215
2009763,248691,021765,343742,080696,917736,501757,545758,499714,270543,595327,645671,1698,167,833
2010764,991687,983380,308689,603767,038633,399699,236746,163742,782764,896749,905664,3818,290,685
2011769,544694,377381,450367,461377,870444,345825,187813,999795,349469,283434,287591,8746,965,026
2012885,774829,858881,358804,487895,831817,735823,428818,423830,321888,894430,848876,7469,783,703
2013888,923803,648686,951577,038892,324865,249889,843849,959855,549894,609866,060871,5629,941,715
2014894,014807,255647,855551,744878,772862,226892,854854,574863,958484,812846,101862,9319,447,096
2015894,261807,599889,908865,194894,308862,785890,823886,946848,182471,374826,112870,69110,008,183
2016896,413838,689599,550771,742895,263862,524890,714879,818859,221891,601869,130896,72910,151,394
2017896,822809,449680,478604,968899,032869,363884,636880,360848,354522,531852,038900,9489,648,979
2018900,095811,599897,070867,179897,537864,881892,088883,172851,052565,516873,212825,72110,129,122
2019891,565799,500754,943569,831858,658867,739896,065858,088866,670896,614873,465897,16710,030,305
2020896,579838,452621,646776,698899,562868,122887,222887,469863,889490,510844,423896,7619,771,333
2021894,739802,967892,180852,662898,669865,696876,100822,904828,038532,678805,580897,9779,970,190
2022896,422809,933782,184534,981897,835868,658891,034880,963852,915893,605871,077897,41110,077,018
2023896,138800,625569,821787,181897,143857,775883,965878,340847,220521,677845,414897,4689,682,767
2024894,969836,930896,880868,750
Wisconsin electricity generation by type Wisconsin electricity generation by type.webp
Wisconsin electricity generation by type
Wisconsin electricity generation by fuel type [16] (GWh)
SourceYear% of 2017

Total

% of 2021

Total

20172018201920202021
Coal35,43732,93326,00323,49027,23355.943.5
Petroleum oil323552181620.10.3
Petroleum coke11110190861540.20.2
Natural gas13,11016,06719,51421,09820,36920.732.5
Nuclear9,64910,12910,0309,7719,97015.215.9
Hydroelectric2,4892,2512,5272,6612,0233.93.2
Wind1,6331,6111,8491,7351,5662.62.5
Utility-scale solar213536903630.00.6
Biomass8428167646867211.31.2
Other17172120230.00.0
Total generation63,34163,99560,88659,65562,584
Point Beach Nuclear Plant ISFSI (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation) - September 2023 Point Beach Nuclear Plant ISFSI.jpg
Point Beach Nuclear Plant ISFSI (Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation) - September 2023

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity. [17]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Point Beach was 19,975, a decrease of 6.7 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 777,556, an increase of 10.0 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Green Bay (28 miles to city center). [18]

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Point Beach was 1 in 90,909, according to an NRC study published in August 2010. This was tied for 62 in a list of 104 with #1 being most at risk. [19] [20]

Point Beach Energy Center Point Beach Energy Center.jpg
Point Beach Energy Center
Point Beach The Energy Experience Exhibit - An interactive, educational exhibit within the Point Beach Energy Center Point Beach energy experience exhibit.jpg
Point Beach The Energy Experience Exhibit - An interactive, educational exhibit within the Point Beach Energy Center

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References

  1. ↑ "Nuclear Power Plant Construction Activity 1986". www.osti.gov. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Point Beach" (PDF). NextEra Energy Resources. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  3. ↑ "Nuclear Power Plant Construction Activity 1986 DOE/EIA—0473(86) DE87 013213". U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information. 1986. p. 32. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  5. ↑ "WEC History". www.wecenergygroup.com. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  6. 1 2 3 20th Anniversary Point Beach Nuclear Plant. Wisconsin Electric Power Company. 1991. pp. 1–2.
  7. ↑ 20th Anniversary Point Beach Nuclear Plant. Wisconsin Electric Power Company. pp. 35–36.
  8. ↑ "NextEra Energy Point Beach Fact Sheet" (PDF). NextEra Energy Resources.
  9. ↑ "RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Renewed License No. DPR-24" (PDF). NRC.gov.
  10. ↑ "RENEWED FACILITY OPERATING LICENSE Renewed License No. DPR-27" (PDF). USNRC.
  11. ↑ "Regulatory approval for Point Beach uprate". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  12. ↑ "Wisconsin Energy Transfers Ownership of Point Beach Nuclear Plant to FPL Energy". 2007-10-01.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ Matthew L. Wald (May 7, 2013). "As Price of Nuclear Energy Drops, a Wisconsin Plant Is Shut". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  15. ↑ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  16. ↑ "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  17. ↑ "Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Power Plants". NRC.gov. Archived from the original on 2006-10-02.
  18. ↑ Dedman, Bill (April 14, 2011). "Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors". NBC News. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  19. ↑ Dedman, Bill (March 17, 2011). "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk". NBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  20. ↑ Hiland, Patrick (September 2, 2010). "Safety / Risk Assessment Results for Generic Issue 199" (PDF). msnbc.com. Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
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