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U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION Nuclear Power Generates Third Straight Annual Record In 2001, U.S. annual nuclear power generation reached a record 768.8 billion net kilowatt hours, 2 percent higher than the 2000 record of 753.9 net billion kWh, according to information released by the Energy Information Administration. This is the third consecutive annual record for nuclear generation (see Figure 1).
In 2001, utilization of U.S. nuclear capacity (97,860 megawatts) as measured by the annual net capacity factor (the ratio of electricity that could be produced at full power with continuous operation to the amount actually generated) also established a new record. The 2001 annual net capacity factor of 89.7 percent eclipsed the 2000 record of 88.1 percent (see Figure 2). For the third time in history, nuclear power accounted for more than 20 percent of the electricity generated in a single year. Nuclear's share of the market was 20.3 percent, eclipsing the record of 20.1 percent (set in 1992 and again in 1995).
According to EIA data, more than one-fourth of the Nation's nuclear output was provided by three States: Illinois (92,358 million kWh), Pennsylvania (73,731 million kWh), and South Carolina (49,870 million kWh). Kansas' only reactor, Wolf Creek, generated 10,347 million kWh in 2001, the most by any U.S. nuclear generating unit. Annual U.S. nuclear generation and capacity utilization can be found within EIA's Monthly Energy Review at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/pdf/pages/sec8_3.pdf . Information on electricity generation by individual nuclear plants is available electronically on EIA=s Internet Web Site at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_generation/usreact.html .
EIA Program Contact: John Moens 202/287-1976 EIA-2002-06 File Last Modified: April 18, 2002
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