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Arizona Nuclear Industry |
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Report Updated:
August 18, 2006
According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), all three units at the Palo Verde plant are pressurized light water reactors (PWR). Permanently Shutdown Commercial Reactors: There are no shut down commercial reactors in Arizona. Nuclear Research and Test Reactors Regulated by NRC: The University of Arizona has a TRIGA reactor (power level 110 kilowatts) that was licensed by the NRC on December 5, 1958.
2005: Largest in the Nation Palo Verde, the Nation's largest nuclear power plant, ranks second on the National Energy Information Center's list of the 100 Largest Utility Plants in the United States. Palo Verde 2 was recently uprated to 1,335 MW(e). The other units at the Palo Verde power plant are Palo Verde 1, rated at 1,243 Mw(e) and Palo Verde 3, at 1,247 Mw(e). Palo Verde 2 is now the Nation's largest nuclear reactor, surpassing the former leaders (South Texas 1 and 2 reactors). Unique Reactors, Energy Information Administration
Contribution of Nuclear Power As of January 1, 2005, Arizona ranked 13th among the 31 States with nuclear capacity. Capacity Rankings are available for all 31 States with commercial nuclear industries.
The leading source of electricity in Arizona is coal, but nuclear power ranks second. Natural gas, however, has been rising significantly in importance and its share of the State’s electricity market was nearly equal to the nuclear share in 2004. In 2004, annual nuclear generation in Arizona dropped slightly: from 28.6 million megawatthours (in 2003) to 28.1 million megawatthours. The market share, however, dropped by 4 percent: from 31 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2004 (see Table). This drop shows that for nuclear power just to maintain its share of the electricity market in the future, it is not sufficient to keep output levels from falling. As future demand for electricity increases in Arizona, new electricity capacity will be needed. Arizona Nuclear Highlights
Arizona Nuclear Industry Arizona has only one nuclear power plant, but that plant has three reactors with a total capacity of 3,825 MW(e). The pair of reactors at the St. Lucie power plant are the largest in Florida. Either of these reactors has a capacity of 839 MW(e). The smallest of the Palo Verde reactors is rated at more than 1,200 MW(e). It has only 2 percent less capacity than Florida, although Florida has 4 reactors. But there are now plans underway to make Palo Verde even larger. According to The Arizona Republic, "a $700 million project at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station---its most expensive investment since it opened in the mid-1980's" will increase output from unit one by adding two new 806-ton generators. License Renewal The earliest license expiration date for any of Palo Verde's trio of reactors is in December 2024 (for unit 1). No applications for renewal are currently pending. Information on the current status of all license renewal applications appears on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov. To locate the data, select "index," then select the letter "l" and click on "License Renewal." International Atomic Energy Agency PRIS file, Operating History, contains data on load factor, availability factor, historical output, and more. Air Quality in Arizona Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of Arizona ranked 18th highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2004. The State's electric industry ranks 32nd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 21st highest in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
More Information on Arizona's Nuclear Industry Uranium Mining Information on Tuba City Mill Site Information on Monument Valley Nuclear Generation Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years: Contact: |
see also:
annual nuclear statistics back to 1953
projected electricity capacity to 2025
international electricity statistics