Louisiana Nuclear Industry
Contribution of Nuclear Power
As of January 1, 2005, Louisiana ranked 15th among the 31 States with nuclear capacity.
Nuclear power accounts for slightly less than a fifth of Louisiana's energy production (see table). If the nuclear share increases in 2005, it will not necessarily represent a corresponding increase in electricity output. Instead, other fuel shares could decrease. In 2004, both River Bend and Waterford operated at slightly under 90 percent of their net summer capability. Although many U.S. nuclear plants have two or more reactors, River Bend and Waterford are single reactor facilities. Reactors shut down periodically for maintenance and refueling. Therefore, it could be concluded that while the local nuclear industry's contribution to economic recovery will be indispensable in the coming months, there is not nearly enough capacity to offset significant losses in the other fuel sectors.
The Waterford power plant, the closest nuclear plant to New Orleans, survived hurricane Katrina virtually intact 1, but was shut down as a precautionary measure on August 28, 2005. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission terminated the 'unusual event' shut down on September 8th and authorized the plant to re-start the reactor on the following day. River Bend, Louisiana's other nuclear plant, was already in operation at the time of the Waterford re-opening. Waterford returned to full power on September 23rd. Their power will be badly needed as the State struggles to economically recover. But it should not be assumed that things will soon return to normal for the State's nuclear industry. A multitude of problems face Entergy, the licensee for the Waterford plant. First, the company lost revenue during the shut down. Add to this the costs of repairing transmission lines, and the displacement of some 350,000 customers.
Natural gas provides nearly half of the electricity in Louisiana, accounting for as much output as 2nd ranked coal and 3rd ranked nuclear put together. Although Louisiana is the 'gateway' to the Mississippi River, hydropower represents only one percent of the State's generation.
| Electricity Market in Louisiana (Percent Generated by Fuel) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Coal | Natural Gas |
Hydro | Nuclear | Other |
|
2004*
|
25
|
47
|
1
|
18
|
10
|
|
2003*
|
26
|
45
|
1
|
18
|
9
|
|
2002
|
24
|
49
|
1
|
20
|
6
|
| Source: Form EIA-906, "Power Plant Report." *Total exceed 100 percent due to independent rounding | |||||
Louisiana Nuclear Highlights
- Louisiana's River Bend Nuclear Power Plant was the first plant approved in 2003 for a power up rate. On January 13, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the licensee permission to increase the reactor's capacity by 52 megawatts/electric (a 1.7 percent increase over previous capacity).
- Months before Katrina damaged oil and gas facilities along the Gulf Coast, the Louisiana Public Service Commission was already considering the impact of rising gas prices. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Commission introduced a Resolution in July 2005 to support construction of an additional reactor at the River Bend Nuclear Plant. Commissioner Blossman cited concerns about high oil and gas prices and the need, both Nationally and locally, to diversify energy supply.
Louisiana Nuclear Industry
| Nuclear Power Plants in Louisiana Net Generation and Capacity, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Name | Nuclear Units | Capacity Net MW(e) |
Share of State Nuclear Generation (percent) |
Operator/Owner |
| River Bend | Unit 1 | R 978 | 43 | Entergy Nuclear/Entergy Gulf States, Inc. |
| Waterford | Unit 3 | 1,089 | 57 | Entergy Nuclear/Entergy Gulf States, Inc. |
| Total | 2 Reactors | R 2,067 | 100 | - |
| Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-906, "Power Plant Report." R= Revised Note: The net capacity for River Bend was previously reported as 980 Megawatts (electric). | ||||
| Nuclear Power Generation in Louisiana, 1985 through
2004 Million Kilowatt Hours |
 |
| Sources: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-906, Power Plant Report, and predecessor forms. |
License Renewal
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), no application for license renewal for River Bend or Waterford have been received and none is anticipated in the near future. The current licenses for both reactors will not expire until after 2020.
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."
Air Quality in Louisiana
Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of Louisiana ranked 16th highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2004. The State's electric industry ranks 22nd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 17th highest in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
| Louisiana
Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 Metric Tons |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Carbon Dioxide CO2 |
Sulfur Dioxide SO2 |
Nitrogen Oxides NOX |
| 1990 | 43,951,037 | 111,821 | 151,628 |
| 1991 | 44,507,345 | 117,513 | 148,308 |
| 1992 | 46,268,955 | 159,098 | 150,606 |
| 1993 | 48,465,294 | 235,515 | 156,892 |
| 1994 | 49,163,543 | 248,385 | 151,653 |
| 1995 | 50,978,770 | 230,798 | 155,975 |
| 1996 | 47,199,864 | 166,982 | 109,611 |
| 1997 | 51,283,673 | 191,372 | 109,749 |
| 1998 | 55,755,019 | 185,299 | 119,098 |
| 1999 | 55,951,419 | 187,266 | 132,070 |
| 2000 | 57,407,227 | 181,596 | 124,235 |
| 2001 | 54,339,837 | 192,811 | 119,477 |
| 2002 | 54,885,780 | 180,184 | 116,919 |
| 2003 | 55,863,113 | 194,445 | 96,359 |
| 2004 | 58,114,092 | 132,116 | 87,514 |
| 774,134,968 | 2,715,201 | 1,930,094 | |
| Source: EIA-767 and EIA-906 Survey, Energy Information Administration | |||
| Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (CO2)* |
 |
| *Carbon Dioxide |
Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (SO2)* |
 |
| *Sulfur Dioxide |
Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (NOX)* |
 |
| *Nitrogen Oxide |
More Information on Louisiana's Nuclear Industry
Nuclear Generation
Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years:
______________________
1 Update: On September 23rd, NRC reported the Waterford is operating at full power.