Susquehanna Steam Electric Station

Last updated
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station from Council Cup 1.JPG
Susquehanna Steam Electric Station
CountryUnited States
Location Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 41°5′20″N76°8′56″W / 41.08889°N 76.14889°W / 41.08889; -76.14889
StatusOperational
Construction beganNovember 2, 1973 (1973-11-02)
Commission date Unit 1: June 8, 1983
Unit 2: February 12, 1985
Construction cost$7.983 billion (2007 USD) [1]
Owner(s) Talen Energy (90%)
Allegheny Electric Cooperative (10%)
Operator(s) Talen Energy
Nuclear power station
Reactor type BWR
Reactor supplier General Electric
Cooling towers2 × Natural Draft
Cooling source Susquehanna River
Thermal capacity2 × 3952 MWth
Power generation
Units operational2 × 1350 MW
Make and model BWR-4 (Mark 2)
Nameplate capacity 2514 MW
Capacity factor 94.50% (2017)
85.05% (lifetime)
Annual net output 19,943 GWh (2021)
External links
Website Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant
Commons Related media on Commons

The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station is a nuclear power station on the Susquehanna River in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Contents

Operations

PPL operated the plant until June 2015 when Talen Energy was formed from PPL's competitive supply business. The plant has two General Electric boiling water reactors within a Mark II containment building [2] on a site of 1,075 acres (435 ha), with 1,130 employees working on site and another 180 employees in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Harrisburg-based Allegheny Electric Cooperative purchased 10% of the plant in 1977. [3] [4]

Susquehanna produces 63 million kilowatt hours per day. It has been in operation since 1983. The prime builder was Bechtel Power Corporation of Reston, Virginia. In November 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the operation licenses of the reactors for an additional 20 years. [5]

Electricity Production

Generation ( MWh ) of Susquehanna Steam Electric Station [6]
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAnnual (Total)
20011,641,3811,482,8061,050,655909,0951,533,5261,568,3801,626,2691,618,3891,586,3221,639,8361,593,9261,614,08117,864,666
20021,627,2421,368,563813,610959,9091,648,9111,586,0511,634,1031,631,1491,583,5521,274,0531,607,3081,663,58517,398,036
20031,640,8091,422,792976,2001,022,4461,649,2991,575,9371,652,0851,643,3231,387,2141,667,5311,625,3461,696,76717,959,749
20041,650,4781,403,764864,302988,8531,668,9311,617,3791,680,0261,666,3011,618,8481,695,2441,449,2971,719,67818,023,101
20051,723,1491,381,6111,038,8591,483,9611,685,8031,468,8061,640,5261,657,1911,616,8101,603,3411,239,4751,724,82718,264,359
20061,723,4251,532,732928,4981,236,0261,552,5761,503,9611,639,6531,661,8751,581,8861,175,4031,541,9131,727,48417,805,432
20071,724,2781,557,034909,8861,163,1181,703,6621,623,5391,676,5691,669,3591,629,4791,181,5771,667,9671,731,43418,237,902
20081,731,6661,610,267942,6301,135,1971,734,9421,635,2521,703,0411,672,4521,662,7601,751,6621,693,8871,766,05819,039,814
20091,771,8271,602,6951,726,6891,004,3451,188,2051,689,7741,756,8071,745,4301,694,3901,783,8001,739,4751,783,22019,486,657
20101,807,0521,565,156919,205690,4621,565,5521,729,9621,316,8791,677,5431,761,3391,824,8971,796,1691,861,36318,515,579
20111,728,7251,682,6441,590,4501,028,381445,23586,6011,610,3341,700,5581,816,7151,904,8031,844,9031,924,37717,363,726
20121,915,9031,795,1861,841,550921,187864,309704,2841,728,9281,826,0631,826,1341,162,708878,6451,449,46016,914,357
20131,913,5841,726,9841,912,0781,276,158225,7211,141,0161,741,5911,869,4641,455,5971,894,5801,819,7641,922,52618,899,063
20141,913,4061,703,3671,116,6041,258,937936,7281,388,4261,705,0091,814,7221,490,2641,891,1721,860,8631,701,79718,781,295
20151,928,4391,735,5321,954,5561,215,9481,063,2321,807,1931,870,3271,868,3671,797,2881,884,4541,564,3641,901,56020,591,260
20161,915,4341,735,8111,234,864885,5161,601,8611,123,5851,846,7551,844,0951,804,2671,643,2321,807,3011,908,25419,350,975
20171,910,5311,665,4171,032,5481,494,5511,878,6821,724,0921,844,0501,858,8791,732,2111,872,9811,844,8431,893,78020,752,565
20181,903,9801,644,6701,694,732907,3371,730,4011,804,2161,837,7201,566,6211,778,6381,877,0721,836,1761,887,15920,468,722
20191,879,5921,625,0641,493,4731,156,3001,863,1841,803,7961,852,5171,867,5511,796,8231,884,8131,831,4581,864,43620,919,007
20201,832,5531,482,5391,536,238895,4461,475,1021,711,8631,848,9341,849,8711,798,2311,858,3981,828,5511,873,17719,990,903
20211,826,4981,553,6741,403,9961,062,7301,864,7871,794,4541,638,0471,854,4081,808,0791,644,6101,819,2331,673,03019,943,546
20221,841,4311,591,7811,566,471866,1251,644,9351,746,2511,818,5421,821,9391,728,1111,759,0221,814,1941,866,22920,065,031
20231,713,6991,629,4011,337,612997,0651,724,6101,683,4851,702,2011,734,6241,627,4091,740,7511,364,0451,746,05819,000,960

Abandoned plans for an adjacent power plant

In 2008, PPL filed an application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to build and operate a new nuclear plant under consideration near Berwick, Pennsylvania. The Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant would be built near the company’s existing two-unit Susquehanna nuclear power plant. On August 30, 2016, Talen Energy formally requested the license application be withdrawn, [7] and the NRC officially accepted the application withdrawal on September 22, 2016, [8] officially cancelling the project. Unlike the existing two units, which are American-designed boiling water reactors, the plan called for the French-German EPR which is a pressurized water reactor. At 1.6 Gigawatt net electric nameplate capacity (1.66 GW in the case of Taishan nuclear power plant), the EPR is the nuclear power plant design with the highest per-reactor electric power output ever built.

Incidents

In the plant's first emergency, an electrical fire erupted at a switch box that controls the supply of cooling water to emergency systems. No injuries were reported following the 1982 incident. [9]

Roughly 10,000 gallons of mildly radioactive water spilled at the Station's Unit 1 turbine building after a gasket failed in the filtering system in 1985. Installed drains collect water, and is released into the air. No radiation was released from the building to the public, and no personnel were contaminated as a result of this incident. [10]

Surrounding population

One of the power plant's cooling towers from the north Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant cooling towers from the north.JPG
One of the power plant's cooling towers from the north

The NRC 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. [11]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Susquehanna was 54,686, an increase of 3.3 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 1,765,761, an increase of 5.5 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Wilkes-Barre (18 miles to city center) and the larger city, Scranton (33 miles to center city). [12]

Seismic risk

The NRC's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Susquehanna was 1 in 76,923, according to an NRC study published in August 2010. [13] [14]

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">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">Cooper Nuclear Station</span> Nuclear power plant near Brownville, Nebraska

Cooper Nuclear Station (CNS) is a boiling water reactor (BWR) type nuclear power plant located on a 1,251-acre (506 ha) site near Brownville, Nebraska between Missouri River mile markers 532.9 and 532.5, on Nebraska's border with Missouri. It is the largest single-unit electrical generator in Nebraska.

<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">Brunswick Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Brunswick County, North Carolina, US

The Brunswick nuclear power plant, named for Brunswick County, North Carolina, covers 1,200 acres (490 ha) at 20 feet (6.1 m) above sea level about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. The site is adjacent to the town of Southport, North Carolina, and to wetlands and woodlands, and was opened in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant located near Hartsville, South Carolina

The H. B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant, also known as Robinson Nuclear Plant, is a nuclear power plant located near Hartsville, South Carolina. The plant consists of one Westinghouse 759 MW pressurized water reactor. The site once included a coal-fired unit that generated 174 MW and a combustion turbine unit that generated 15 MW.

<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">Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant</span> Nuclear power plant near Baxley, Georgia

The Edwin Irby Hatch Nuclear Power Plant is near Baxley, Georgia, in the southeastern United States, on a 2,244-acre (9 km²) site. It has two General Electric boiling water reactors with a total capacity of 1,848 megawatts. Previously, the reactors had a combined capacity listing of 1,759 MW. Unit 1 went online in 1974 and was followed by Unit 2 in 1978. The plant was named for Edwin I. Hatch, president of Georgia Power from 1963 to 1975, and chairman from 1975 to 1978.

The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is a nuclear power plant located in Monticello, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River. The site, which began operating in 1971, has a single nuclear reactor of the General Electric BWR-3 design generating 671 MWe. The plant is owned by Xcel Energy and operated by Northern States Power, its regional subsidiary.

<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">Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant</span>

The Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Plant is located near Dothan, Alabama in the southern United States. The twin-unit nuclear power station sits on a largely wooded and agricultural 1,850-acre (750 ha) site along the Chattahoochee River, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Columbia, Alabama in Houston County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Gulf Nuclear Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Mississippi

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station is a nuclear power station with one operational GE BWR reactor. It lies on a 2,100 acres (850 ha) site near Port Gibson, Mississippi. The site is wooded and contains two lakes. The plant has a 520-foot natural draft cooling tower. As of January 2023, the plant employs 675 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Bend Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Louisiana, United States

River Bend Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power station on a 3,300-acre (1,300 ha) site near St. Francisville, Louisiana in West Feliciana Parish, approximately 30 miles (50 km) north of Baton Rouge. The station has one sixth generation General Electric boiling water reactor that has a nominal gross electric output of about 1010 MWe. Commercial operation began on June 16, 1986. In 2003, owners applied and were approved for a power upgrade of approximately 52 megawatts in 2003. The nameplate capacity is 974 MW.

<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.

The Waterford Steam Electric Station, Unit 3, also known as Waterford 3, is a nuclear power plant located on a 3,000-acre (1,200 ha) plot in Killona, Louisiana, in St. Charles Parish, about 25 miles (40 km) west of New Orleans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan

The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie near Monroe, in Frenchtown Charter Township, Michigan on approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha). All units of the plant are operated by the DTE Energy Electric Company and owned by parent company DTE Energy. It is approximately halfway between Detroit, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio. It is also visible from parts of Amherstburg and Colchester, Ontario as well as on the shore of Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio. Two units have been constructed on this site. The first unit's construction started on August 4, 1956 and reached initial criticality on August 23, 1963, and the second unit received its construction permit on September 26, 1972. It reached criticality on June 21, 1985 and was declared commercial on November 18, 1988. The plant is connected to two single-circuit 345 kV Transmission Lines and three 120 kV lines. They are operated and maintained by ITC Transmission.

<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">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">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.

The Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant was a proposed nuclear power plant, which would have been built on the Bell Bend of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania adjacent to the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station.

References

  1. "EIA - State Nuclear Profiles". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  2. "U.S. boiling-water reactors with "Mark 1" and "Mark 2" containments". NRC. November 2, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  3. "At a Glance". Pplweb.com. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  4. "PPL Susquehanna Fact Sheet". Pplweb.com. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  5. "Susquehanna gets 20 more years". World Nuclear News . World Nuclear Association (WNA). 25 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  6. "Electricity Data Browser". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  7. "Bell Bend Combined Operating License application withdrawal" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 30 August 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  8. "Bell Bend Combined Operating License application withdrawal acceptance" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 22 September 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  9. "Nuke plant has emergency". Reading Eagle. September 22, 1982. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  10. "Radioactive water spills at nuke plant". Gainesville Sun. October 28, 1985. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  11. "NRC: Emergency Planning Zones". United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  12. Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, NBC News , April 14, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42555888 Accessed May 1, 2011.
  13. Bill Dedman, "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," NBC News , March 17, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42103936 Accessed April 19, 2011.
  14. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2017-05-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)