Nuclear power plant reached 20 years of clean, safe, and reliable commercial operation
– By Stephen Heiser –
Unit 2 of the South Texas Project nuclear power plant reached 20 years of clean, safe, and reliable commercial operation on Friday, June 19. The state-of-the-art facility – one of the youngest among the nation’s 104 commercial reactors — has produced a total of 178 billion kilowatt-hours of carbon-free energy, enough to power approximately 650,000 homes annually for two decades.
STP Unit 2 has established several national and industry production records. It first became the highest-producing reactor in the U.S. in 1992, and consistently ranks in the top three nationally. It led the country and ranked third among all 439 reactors worldwide in electrical generation in 2006. For five consecutive years, the plant has produced more energy than any other two-unit nuclear facility in the country.
“Our commitment is to provide clean, safe, and reliable energy to millions of Texans every day,” said STP Nuclear Operating Company Chief Nuclear Officer Ed Halpin. “For two decades, our two units have achieved high levels of safety and reliability while keeping production costs low.”
The baseload facility operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During the past three years (2006-2008), STP led all multi-unit sites in the country with a net capacity factor – a measure of reliability – of 98.87 percent. By comparison, solar energy has an average capacity factor of 20 percent and wind energy maintains an average capacity factor of 30 percent.
Unit 2 produced two breaker-to-breaker production runs by operating continuously between refuelings, which are about 18 months apart. Unit 2 completed its first breaker-to-breaker run on March 26, 2007 and its second on Oct. 5, 2008. The two breaker-to-breaker runs, combined with two intervening ones by STP Unit 1, have set an all-time record in the industry’s 50-year history. Unit 1 reached its twentieth operational anniversary on Aug. 25, 2008.
“Our state’s economy depends on energy,” said Halpin. “We believe nuclear energy will play a critical role in securing our state’s long-term energy future. Nuclear energy is not only our nation’s largest source of carbon-free energy, it is also the most efficient form of generation available – operating day and night throughout the year to serve that steady base of growing demand that’s always there.”
Earlier this year, STP achieved a Total Industrial Safety Accident Rate of 0.0 (based on 18-month average) and is now in the top 10- percent of all U.S. nuclear power plants for personal safety.
The two-unit facility also has achieved the lowest unsubsidized production cost among U.S. nuclear plants — 1.356 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2006 — and the lowest fuel cost of all power plants nationwide, at 0.399 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2000.
STP also has earned more honors than any other U.S. nuclear power plant. It is the only repeat-winner of the industry’s top honor, the B. Ralph Sylvia Best of The Best Award, which STP has won three times. The company additionally has won seven of the annual Top Industry Practice (TIP) awards; a Project of The Year Award for Best Nuclear Project worldwide; and the American Nuclear Society’s Utility Achievement and Utility Leadership awards.
STP supplies approximately 7.5 percent of the electricity used in Texas. The plant is managed by the STP Nuclear Operating Company and owned by Austin Energy, CPS Energy and NRG Texas. STP's twin reactors produce 2,700 megawatts of electricity, enough for nearly two million homes.
To learn more about the South Texas Project, visit www.stpnoc.com.