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Pennsylvania Nuclear Industry |
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Report Updated:
August 18, 2006
There are 5 operating nuclear power plants in Pennsylvania: Beaver Valley has 2 light water reactors (PWR) and, with the shutdown of its number 2 unit in 1979, Three Mile Island now has only one PWR. All of the State's other commercial units are boiling water reactors (BWR). Permanently Shutdown Commercial Reactors: The following reactors in Pennsylvania have been permanently shut down and are in various stages of decommissioning; Peach Bottom 1 (shut down on October 31, 1974), Saxton (shut down on May 1, 1972), Shippingport (shut down in 1982 and decommissioning completed), and Three Mile Island, unit 2, (shut down on March 28, 1979). The last of these, Three Mile Island, unit 2, is unique: it has been placed in a post-defueling monitored storage mode until unit 1 permanently ceases operation. Both units will then be decommissioned. Research and Test Reactors Regulated by the NRC: Pennsylvania State University has a TRIGA reactor (power level 1,100 kilowatts) that was licensed on July 8, 1955.
Nuclear Generation Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years: Contribution of Nuclear Power As of January 1, 2005, Pennsylvania ranked 2nd among the 31 States with nuclear capacity. It has the most nuclear capacity in the southeastern United States.
Thirty-one States have commercial nuclear power plants but nearly one third of the Nation's total capacity is located in just 4 States: Illinois, Pennsylvania, and North and South Carolina. Pennsylvania ranks second, behind Illinois, in total nuclear capacity and nuclear generation. The atomic age originated in Illinois, but the U.S. commercial nuclear industry was born in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth is second only to Illinois in nuclear capacity and output. Pennsylvania Nuclear Highlights
License Renewal On May 7, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a 20-year license extension for the reactors at the Peach Bottom nuclear plant. NRC anticipates that PPL Susquehanna will submit an application for the license renewal of the two reactor at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station between July and September 2006. An application for the reactor at Three Mile Island is anticipated in the period January thru March 2008. Air Quality in Pennsylvania Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of Pennsylvania ranks 4th highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The State's electric industry ranks 2nd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 5th highest in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions.
More Information on the Pennsylvania Nuclear Industry Pittsburgh Naval Reactors The Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office administers programs at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory for research and development, design, fabrication, construction, testing, operation, and improvement of assigned naval nuclear propulsion plants; procurement of reactor cores, and other work as assigned by the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors. Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory The Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, located near Pittsburgh, is a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) research and development facility solely dedicated to support the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program of the United States. Laboratory employees develop advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology, provide technical support for the safe and reliable operation of existing naval reactors, and provide training for naval personnel. Penn State University The oldest U.S. reactor still in service is the TRIGA reactor at Penn State University. It was licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission on July 8, 1955. It is not only older than any operational licensed reactor (commercial, research, or testing), it is older than any licensed reactor listed as decommissioning or decommissioned. The University discusses the 50th anniversary of the nuclear engineering program on their web site.
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see also:
annual nuclear statistics back to 1953
projected electricity capacity to 2025
international electricity statistics