Despite extended outages at four reactors, American nuclear plants logged a median capacity factor of 91.2 percent in 2012, not far from the 2005 record high of 92 percent, according to data recently compiled by international nuclear power organizations.
Last year saw 62 unplanned shutdowns in the U.S. and a median forced-loss rate of 1.2 percent. Both figures are among the lowest in their categories recorded in the last decade, the Nuclear Energy Institute noted while highlighting the annual statistics published by the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.
A key metric of worker safety broke a record last year. The industry reported 0.05 accidents per 200,000 worker hours – well below the injury rate in many non-industrial businesses. Next year's numbers for 2013, though, will account for a recent fatal accident involving a falling turbine stator at Arkansas Nuclear One.
In total, U.S. reactors generated 769 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2012, representing 19 percent of all U.S. power generation and almost two-thirds of the power from low-carbon sources.