U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
WASHINGTON DC 20585
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2000
U.S. Nuclear Industry Closes a Record Year with a Record Month
In 1999, U.S. commercial nuclear powerplants generated more electricity than in any previous year in the industry's history. According to information released today in the Electric Power Monthly by the Energy Information Administration, the industry began the year with the highest level of nuclear generation for any January and continued setting records to conclude the year with the highest December total. These records were accomplished even though the number of operable U.S. commercial nuclear generating units has declined to 104 reactors from a peak of 112 in 1990.
The U.S. nuclear industry's accomplishments include the following:
- Annual nuclear generation surpassed 700 billion kilowatt hours for the first time. The 1999 total nuclear generation was 727,913 million kilowatt hours. This was an increase of 8 percent over the 1998 level. It was approximately 53 billion more kilowatt hours than the prior record of 674,729 million kilowatt hours set in 1996.
- In 1999, U.S. nuclear capacity utilization (see chart), 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), reached the highest level ever recorded, 85.5 percent. This was accomplished, at least in part, by reducing the outage time for refueling the nuclear units. In several months of 1999, the monthly net capacity factor exceeded 90 percent. This occurred the first time ever in January 1999. This happened again in July, August, and December of 1999.
Based on preliminary data, the nuclear share of total U.S. electricity generation in 1999 (i.e., including utility and nonutility generation) was 19.8 percent as compared to 18.6 percent in 1998. Nuclear share has not been higher than 19 percent since 1996, when it was 19.6 percent.
Share of Total U.S Electricity Generation by Fuel, 1999 (preliminary) 
Information on the nuclear generation of individual nuclear plants is available electronically on EIA's Internet Web Site (http://www.eia.doe.gov) in the Electric Power Monthly March 2000 report. Copies of the printed report will be available in April from the U.S. Government Printing Office, 202/512-1800 or through EIA's National Energy Information Center, 202/586-8800.
| The report described in this press release was prepared by the Energy Information Administration, the independent statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The information contained in the report and the press release should be attributed to the Energy Information Administration and should not be construed as advocating or reflecting any policy position of the Department of Energy or any other organization. |
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EIA-2000-06
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