No News is Good News

The State summaries normally lead off with an article spotlighting the local nuclear industry.  For the State of Washington, however, we’ve omitted the article to make a point.  There is an abundance of news material on the problems encountered with nuclear construction in this State from which to choose, much of it well researched and probably quite accurate.  But the Washington Public Power Supply System, the original licensee, eventually overcame these difficulties.   In 2002, re-named the Columbia reactor (formerly WNP-2) operated at just over 90 percent of its capacity: it operated safely and efficiently. Washington’s lone nuclear power plant produced 9 percent of the total electricity in a State noted for massive hydropower resources.   In the process, it produced no CO2 emissions, no nitrous oxide emissions, no sulfuric emissions, and no headlines—all of which probably came as good news to Energy Northwest.

Washington Nuclear Highlights

• Of the 31 States with nuclear capacity, Washington ranks 28^th.
• The Columbia Generating Station generated 9,048 million kilowatt hours of electricity (a plant record).

Nuclear Generation in Washington, 1960 through 2003 Million Kilowatt Hours

Sources: Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data Report 1999, and Electric Power Annual, Volume 1, 2001, and EIA Survey Form 906.

Competing Fuels

Hydro Power has helped keep Washington's electricity prices low for decades.  No other State is as dependent on water for its electric power.  Washington has the only hydro plant appearing in the top 20 of EIA's list of 100 largest power plants in the United States.  In fact, the Grand Coulee dam is not merely in the top 20:  it is number one. 

Emissions

Source:  State Electricity Profiles, Energy Information Administration

See also, the comprehensive table comparing emissions tonnage for all 50 States plus the District of Columbia.

To Washington State Government

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