Salem Nuclear Power Plant

Last updated
Salem Nuclear Power Plant
Salem and Hope Creek Nuclear Reactors (7238282472).jpg
The entire PSEG nuclear complex as seen from the Delaware Bay.
Salem Nuclear Power Plant
CountryUnited States
Location Lower Alloways Creek, Salem County, New Jersey
Coordinates 39°27′46″N75°32′8″W / 39.46278°N 75.53556°W / 39.46278; -75.53556
StatusOperational
Construction beganSeptember 25, 1968 (1968-09-25)
Commission date Unit 1: June 30, 1977
Unit 2: October 13, 1981
Construction cost$4.283 billion (2007 USD) [1]
Owner(s) Constellation Energy (43%)
PSEG (57%)
Operator(s) PSEG
Nuclear power station
Reactor type PWR
Reactor supplier Westinghouse
Cooling source Delaware River
Thermal capacity2 × 3459 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1169 MW
1 × 1158 MW
Make and model WH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Nameplate capacity 2327 MW
Capacity factor 88.55% (2017)
70.50% (lifetime)
Annual net output 19,062 GWh (2021)
External links
Website Salem Generating Station
Commons Related media on Commons

The Salem Nuclear Power Plant is a two-unit pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by PSEG Nuclear LLC and Constellation Energy.

Contents

In 2019, New Jersey began providing the state's nuclear plants Zero-Emission Certificates worth $300 million a year to keep them in service. The subsidy was ended in 2024, effective June 1, 2025, as the Inflation Reduction Act provides alternative tax credits to support clean energy. [2]

Location

Salem shares an artificial island in the Delaware Bay with the Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant. [3]

Reactors

The reactors, both PWRs, were built by Westinghouse, and began commercial operation in 1977 (Unit 1) and 1981 (Unit 2). The two-unit plant has a capacity of 2,275 MWe. In 2009, PSEG applied for 20-year license renewals for both units, which were approved by the NRC in 2011. [4] [5] Unit 1 is now licensed to operate until August 13, 2036 and Unit 2 is licensed to operate until April 18, 2040.

Electricity Production

Generation ( MWh ) of Salem Nuclear Power Plant (Nuclear Only) [6]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual (Total)
20011,628,1011,476,0381,636,734898,461956,3941,555,7731,635,7141,640,7171,340,7291,216,1081,572,0671,648,21017,205,046
20021,488,8571,488,8571,379,434892,1021,179,0971,593,7941,645,2581,640,8611,580,3641,058,5061,384,5351,667,40916,999,074
2003--1,491,7481,499,5381,544,4421,645,7661,602,6101,578,9781,562,3501,167,010958,594810,0531,653,05715,514,146
20041,646,9871,571,6931,621,231781,182520,5531,398,3701,446,1701,708,6161,349,5191,713,7021,658,472780,54416,197,039
20051,735,3821,573,1101,741,799875,8651,387,4241,648,5041,704,1171,676,6231,632,5721,144,0621,495,3831,729,59718,344,438
20061,740,5431,555,0551,638,0431,672,5301,716,8631,650,3291,677,6741,664,9451,566,5501,086,2341,638,9701,741,23119,348,967
20071,742,3641,572,7031,569,646936,1551,392,9821,593,5171,698,0541,647,4401,639,5911,718,1331,686,0171,631,59218,828,194
20081,712,2471,622,2821,096,556841,6721,298,5501,662,4761,700,9931,717,5671,632,5941,221,7571,273,3121,758,71917,538,725
20091,773,7891,595,8911,681,9611,701,5581,733,7391,672,6931,726,0231,716,4631,673,1821,231,2321,375,9761,766,82119,649,328
20101,639,1821,598,2701,739,970892,6051,734,6601,610,0381,224,5761,706,7591,651,2891,465,8281,704,2231,764,39918,731,799
20111,766,4871,595,4721,699,347885,5451,419,6771,545,8191,493,8221,700,5651,453,0301,467,7881,047,4171,758,27717,833,246
20121,769,5421,661,5941,650,1731,685,4011,545,2091,664,5191,704,0921,706,0291,662,8981,177,993909,2651,707,67018,844,385
20131,763,9601,594,9761,761,8231,231,680938,5821,677,4351,711,0991,651,5641,674,9781,738,7301,698,7881,764,60719,208,222
20141,741,4621,497,6331,754,020936,092734,169826,9151,272,4641,713,8751,660,7451,378,8461,011,8721,755,04216,283,135
20151,756,6141,546,1961,362,1661,652,9631,732,3551,665,3661,690,9241,584,1371,661,1121,470,197794,6521,676,94718,593,629
20161,745,9541,477,1081,743,0931,221,654861,781743,68533,3621,428,3891,284,5701,741,4911,666,4311,749,11815,696,636
20171,752,2261,558,0831,686,8671,227,730874,7291,649,5551,692,9721,704,6281,592,4571,169,3091,325,3201,741,29017,975,166
20181,744,7911,577,6691,735,5391,686,6431,655,3401,650,4241,691,0071,681,3991,391,2471,045,8891,293,3871,741,70718,895,042
20191,713,1541,541,2621,559,6711,050,539849,4121,118,3271,687,3041,591,0301,651,3811,725,1381,680,7881,742,25617,910,262
20201,743,9281,512,141987,2871,098,0631,201,0451,658,7611,683,4231,662,3131,659,121913,481838,3071,187,56616,145,436
20211,752,6581,583,5391,746,5001,692,9361,733,7971,655,6021,691,5821,692,3281,583,540879,1561,309,9301,740,43319,062,001
20221,739,2471,574,3701,740,6191,058,9491,201,4111,657,5451,690,0641,694,0261,657,6981,727,5661,687,3751,691,25419,120,124
20231,752,2701,577,8441,667,278893,5201,734,3821,667,1461,697,8851,703,4331,609,2791,013,9271,328,1141,751,97318,397,051

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. [7]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Salem was 52,091, an increase of 54.1 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 5,482,329, an increase of 7.6 percent since 2000.

Cities within 50 miles:

Safety issues

The New York Times has reported that in the 1990s the Salem reactors were shut down for two years because of maintenance problems. [9] Consultants found several difficulties, including a leaky generator, unreliable controls on a reactor, and workers who feared that reporting problems would lead to retaliation. In 2004, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took on additional oversight of the Salem plants and increased the monitoring of them. [9]

An extensive investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the subsequent review by hired consultants have found many minor problems, such as lack of routine maintenance and low morale among personnel, but declared the plant safe. [10]

On August 22, 2013, the Salem nuclear plant was shut down after a leak of slightly radioactive water. The spill was confined to the plant's containment building, and regulators have said there is no risk to the public. [11] The plant restarted on August 24, after having been shut down for less than 48 hours. [12]

In May 2014 a scheduled refueling outage of Salem 2 was extended after broken bolts from a cooling pump were found in the reactor vessel. Westinghouse dispatched a team to inspect the pumps. [13] The inspection revealed bolts in the bottom of the cooling pumps as well as the bottom of the reactor vessel. Unit 2 was returned to service on July 11, 2014. [14]

Water use

The Salem Nuclear Power Plant, as photographed from Delaware Bay Salem Nuclear Power Plant.jpg
The Salem Nuclear Power Plant, as photographed from Delaware Bay

Both reactors use Delaware Bay as a source of cooling water. Salem Units 1 and 2 have a water-intake building with a rotating screen to collect debris that is later washed off. Sometimes thick layers of grass clog the intakes and the reactors run at reduced power for weeks as a result. [15] [16] All of the waste heat produced in the steam cycle (about 2  gigawatts) is dumped into the bay. The resultant increase in water temperature is regulated to less than 1 °C in summer months, and to 2 °C the rest of the year. The large closed-cycle cooling tower on site is part of the neighboring Hope Creek plant and is not used by the Salem reactors. [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limerick Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, US

The Limerick Generating Station is a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania located next to the Schuylkill River in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, northwest of Philadelphia. The facility has two General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) units, cooled by natural draft cooling towers. According to its owner, Constellation Energy, the two units are capable of producing 2,317 megawatts of power, which combined would provide electricity to around 2 million households. Constellation owns and operates this facility following their separation from Exelon Corporation in 2022. With the exception of refueling outages, Limerick Generating Station continuously operates at 100% power. The plant is connected to the grid, and transmits power, via multiple 500kv transmission lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant</span> Nuclear power plant located on Tennessee River, Alabama

The Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant is located on the Tennessee River near Decatur and Athens, Alabama, on the north side of Wheeler Lake. The site has three General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear generating units and is owned entirely by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). With a generating capacity of nearly 3.8 gigawatts, it is the third most powerful nuclear power plant in the United States, behind the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant in Arizona and the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia, and the most powerful generating station operated by TVA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, New Jersey

Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station is a thermal nuclear power plant located in Lower Alloways Creek Township, in Salem County, New Jersey, United States, on the same site on Artificial Island as the two-unit Salem Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is owned and operated by PSEG Nuclear LLC. It has one unit, a boiling water reactor (BWR) manufactured by GE. The complex was designed for two units, but the second unit was cancelled in 1981. It has a generating capacity of 1,268 MWe. The plant came online on July 25, 1986, licensed to operate until 2026. In 2009, PSEG applied for a 20-year license renewal, which it received in 2011 to operate until 2046. With its combined output of 3,572 megawatts, the Salem-Hope Creek complex is the largest nuclear generating facility in the Eastern United States and the second largest nationwide, after the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station</span> Decommissioning nuclear power plant located in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) is a closed nuclear power plant in Massachusetts in the Manomet section of Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, south of the tip of Rocky Point and north of Priscilla Beach. Like many similar plants, it was constructed by Bechtel, and was powered by a General Electric BWR 3 boiling water reactor inside of a Mark 1 pressure suppression type containment and generator. With a 690 MWe production capacity, it produced about 14% of the electricity generated in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station</span> Inactive nuclear power plant in Ocean County, New Jersey, US

Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Station is an inactive single unit 636 MWe boiling water reactor power plant in the United States. The plant is located on an 800-acre (3.2 km2) site adjacent to Oyster Creek in the Forked River section of Lacey Township in Ocean County, New Jersey. At the time of its closure, the facility was owned by Exelon Corporation and, along with unit 1 at Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station, was the oldest operating commercial nuclear power plant in the United States. The plant first started commercial operation on December 23, 1969, and is licensed to operate until April 9, 2029, but Oyster Creek was permanently shut down in September 2018. The plant got its cooling water from Barnegat Bay, a brackish estuary that empties into the Atlantic Ocean through the Barnegat Inlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dresden Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Grundy County, Illinois, US

Dresden Generating Station is the first privately financed nuclear power plant built in the United States. Dresden 1 was activated in 1960 and retired in 1978. Operating since 1970 are Dresden units 2 and 3, two General Electric BWR-3 boiling water reactors. Dresden Station is located on a 953-acre (386 ha) site in Grundy County, Illinois, at the head of the Illinois River, near the city of Morris. It is immediately northeast of the Morris Operation—the only de facto high-level radioactive waste storage site in the United States. It serves Chicago and the northern quarter of the state of Illinois, capable of producing 867 megawatts of electricity from each of its two reactors, enough to power over one million average American homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millstone Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant located in Waterford, Connecticut

The Millstone Nuclear Power Station is the only nuclear power plant in Connecticut and the only multi-unit nuclear plant in New England. It is located at a former quarry in Waterford. With a total capacity of over 2 GW, the station produces enough electricity to power about 2 million homes. The operation of the Millstone Power Station supports more than 3,900 jobs, and generates the equivalent of over half the electricity consumed in Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear and gas-fired power plant located near Homestead, Florida

Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear and gas-fired power plant located on a 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) site two miles east of Homestead, Florida, United States, next to Biscayne National Park located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Miami, Florida near the southernmost edge of Miami-Dade County. The facility is owned by Florida Power & Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant in Calvert County, Maryland, US

The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (CCNPP) is a nuclear power plant located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Calvert County, Maryland in the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is the only nuclear power plant in the state of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania

The Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station is an American nuclear power plant that is located 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Harrisburg in Peach Bottom Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Situated close to the Susquehanna River, it is three miles north of the Maryland border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequoyah Nuclear Plant</span> Nuclear power plant in Hamilton County, Tennessee

The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant located on 525 acres (212 ha) located 7 miles (11 km) east of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and 20 miles (32 km) north of Chattanooga, abutting Chickamauga Lake on the Tennessee River. The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surry Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant located in Surry County, Virginia

Surry Power Station is a nuclear power plant located in Surry County in southeastern Virginia, in the South Atlantic United States. The power station lies on an 840-acre (340 ha) site adjacent to the James River across from Jamestown, slightly upriver from Smithfield and Newport News. Surry is operated by Dominion Generation and owned by Dominion Resources, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant located in Red Wing, Minnesota

The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant is an electricity-generating facility located in Red Wing, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River, and adjacent to the Prairie Island Indian Community reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant located in Scriba, Oswego County, New York

Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station is a nuclear power plant with two nuclear reactors located in the town of Scriba, approximately five miles northeast of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario. The 900-acre (360 ha) site is also occupied by the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Creek Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kansas

Wolf Creek Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located near Burlington, Kansas. It occupies 9,818 acres (39.73 km2) of the total 11,800 acres (4,800 ha) controlled by the owner. Its namesake, Wolf Creek, was dammed to create Coffey County Lake, and provides water for the condensers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States

LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station, located in Brookfield Township, LaSalle County, Illinois, near Marseilles, 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Ottawa, serves Chicago and Northern Illinois with electricity. The plant is owned and operated by Constellation Energy following separation from Exelon Corporation in 2022. Its Units 1 and 2 began commercial operation in October 1982, and October 1984, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Beach Nuclear Plant</span> Nuclear power plant in Two Creeks, Wisconsin, U.S.

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, and previously operated by the Nuclear Management Company. The plant is currently owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources, of Juno Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear Power Station in Port St. Lucie, Florida

St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant is a twin nuclear power station located on Hutchinson Island, near Port St. Lucie in St. Lucie County, Florida. Both units are Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactors. Florida Power & Light commissioned the station in 1976 and continues to operate the station. Minor shares of Unit 2 are owned by the Florida Municipal Power Agency (8.81%) and the Orlando Utilities Commission (6.08%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power station in Texas

Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant is located in Somervell County, Texas. The nuclear power plant is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Ft. Worth and about 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Dallas. It relies on nearby Comanche Creek Reservoir for cooling water. The plant has about 1,300 employees and is operated by Luminant Generation, a subsidiary of Vistra Corp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGuire Nuclear Station</span> Nuclear power plant in North Carolina, United States

The McGuire Nuclear Station is a nuclear power plant located about 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, on the state's largest lake, Lake Norman. It is a 32,500-acre (13,200 ha) lake created in 1963 by Duke Power for the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station. The McGuire units use the lake's water for cooling.

References

  1. "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  2. Johnson, Tom (February 15, 2024). "BPU pulls plug on unpopular nuclear subsidy". NJ Spotlight News.
  3. Special to Today's Sunbeam/PSEG Nuclear (5 February 2012). "NRC delays review of PSEG Nuclear permit application needed for any new reactor in Salem County". NJ.com. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
  4. "PSEG seeks licence renewals for two plants". World Nuclear News . August 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  5. Gallo, Bill Jr. (July 1, 2011). "Nuclear Regulatory Commission grants 20-year operating license extensions for Salem 1 and 2 reactors in Lower Alloways Creek". Today's Sunbeam. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  7. "NRC: Emergency Planning Zones". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  8. Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, NBC News , April 14, 2011 https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna42555888 Accessed May 1, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Creating the Nation's Largest Utility Company, New York Times , January 29, 2006.
  10. Sullivan, John (October 11, 2004). "Problems cited at nuclear plant in South Jersey". New York Times.
  11. https://6abc.com/archive/9216530/ ABC 6 Action News, August 23, 2013
  12. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Leak-Leads-to-Shut-Down-of-Nuclear-Plant-220808101.html NBC news, August 24, 2013
  13. Bill Gallo (19 May 2014). "Broken bolt pieces found in pump, reactor vessel delay Salem 2 nuclear plant restart". South Jersey Times. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  14. "After 'trying time' with discovery of broken bolts, Salem 2 nuclear returns to service". 14 July 2014.
  15. Wald, Matthew L. (May 1, 1994). "U.S. team finds errors at Salem Nuclear Plant". New York Times. Archives.
  16. Jeff Montgomery (22 April 2011). "Delaware energy: Grasses force Salem plant shutdown". News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware: Gannett. DelawareOnline. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  17. FR Doc E7-20761