The 104 reactors that provide a fifth of America’s electricity achieved a capability factor of 91.4 percent in 2011, a year that also saw a drop in unplanned shutdowns despite multiple natural disasters.
Citing data compiled by the World Association of Nuclear Operators and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the Nuclear Energy Institute said the plants’ 62 unplanned shutdowns represent the lowest yearly total in more than a decade. That includes plant responses to Midwest flooding, Hurricane Irene, tornado outbreaks in the Southeast and the Virginia earthquake near the North Anna nuclear plant last year.
"America's nuclear energy facilities performed extremely well in the face of a host of natural challenges," NEI Chief Nuclear Officer Tony Pietrangelo said in a release. It went on to note the nuclear plants had a capacity factor of 89 percent in 2011, representing a level of efficiency higher than other electricity sources.
Nuclear plants were also among the safest places to work, based on data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry’s industrial accident rate for the year was 0.06 industrial accidents per 200,000 worker-hours, a lower rate than even pharmacies and workplaces in finance and real estate.