Doel Nuclear Power Station

The Doel Nuclear Power Station is one of the two nuclear power plants in Belgium. The plant lies on the bank of the Scheldt, near the village of Doel in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The Belgian energy corporation Electrabel is the plant's largest stakeholder. The plant employs 800 workers and covers an area of 80 hectares.

Reactors of Doel Nuclear Power Station

The plant consists of four second-generation pressurized water reactors with a total capacity of 2839 MWe, making it the second largest nuclear power plant in Belgium, after Nuclear Plant Tihange. Its four units are rated as follows:

  • Doel 1 : 392 MWe
  • Doel 2 : 433 MWe
  • Doel 3 : 1006 MWe
  • Doel 4 : 1008 MWe

Doel 1 and 2 came online in 1975, while Doel 3 and 4 came online in 1982 and 1985, respectively.

Cooling towers of Doel Nuclear Power Station

With a height of 176 meters, the two cooling towers are the most visible structure in the Port of Antwerp. Due to its proximity to the Dutch-Belgian border, the towers and the accompanying vapor can be seen in large parts of Dutch provinces of Zeeland and western North Brabant. Since 1995, one of the cooling towers has hosted a nest of peregrine falcons.


Powerlines

One of the outgoing powerlines crosses Schelde River in a remarkable manner, see Doel Schelde Powerline Crossing.

Doel Nuclear Power Station
Country Belgium
Locale Doel
Coordinates 51°19′29″N 04°15′31″E / 51.32472°N 4.25861°E / 51.32472; 4.25861 / 51.32472; 4.25861
Construction began 1969
Commission date 15 February 1975
Owner(s) Indivision Doel (EBES, INTERCOM, UNERG)
Operator(s) Electrabel M.V. Nucleaire Produktie

Reactor information
Reactors operational 1 x 392 MW
1 x 433 MW
1 x 1006 MW
1 x 1008 MW

Power generation information
Annual generation 21,670 GW·h
Net generation 515,257 GW·h

Tihange Nuclear Power Station

The Tihange Nuclear Power Station, along with Doel Nuclear Power Station, is one of the two large-scale nuclear power plants in Belgium. It is located on the right bank of the Meuse River in the Belgian district of Tihange, part of Huy municipality in the Walloonian province of Liège. The primary stakeholder in the plant is the Belgian energy company Electrabel.

Reactors

The plant has three pressurized water reactors, with a total capacity of 2985 MWe and makes up 52% of the total Belgian nuclear generating capacity. Its units are rated as follows:

  • Tihange 1: 962 MWe
  • Tihange 2: 1008 MWe
  • Tihange 3: 1015 MWe

South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant

The South Ukraine Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power station in Ukraine.

South Ukraine Nuclear Power Station is located near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in Mykolaiv province, approximately 350 kilometers (200 miles) south of Kiev. The nuclear power station has three VVER-1000 reactors and a net generation capacity of 2,850 megawatts (MW). It is at present the second largest of five nuclear power stations in Ukraine.

From South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant a 750 kV powerline runs to Isaccea, Romania; however this is largely dismantled or ruined.

Since 2005 Energoatom has been using the third power unit of the Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP to test nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse, mixed with Russian assemblies. In August 2005, the third reactor of the Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP was loaded with the first six experimental fuel assemblies produced by Westinghouse.

In September 2009, Westinghouse transferred a further 42 fuel assemblies to Energoatom for the third reactor of the Yuzhnoukrainsk NPP. The main supplier of fuel for nuclear power plants in Ukraine is currently TVEL, with whom NNEGC in 1997 signed a contract for the supply of fresh nuclear fuel for Ukrainian WMR until 2010.

Energoatom operates all four active nuclear power plants in Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia, Yuzhnoukrainsk, Rivne and Khmelnytsky stations have 15 generating units in total. Equipped with water-moderated reactors, they have a total installed electrical capacity of 13.835 MW.

South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant
Country Ukraine
Coordinates 47°49′0″N 31°13′0″E / 47.816667°N 31.216667°E / 47.816667; 31.216667 / 47.816667; 31.216667
Construction began 1975
Commission date October 18, 1983
Owner(s) Energoatom
Operator(s) National Nuclear Energy Generating Company

Reactor information
Reactors operational 3 x 1,000 MW

Power generation information
Annual generation 16,746 GW·h
Net generation 329,175 GW·h

Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant

Smolensk Nuclear power station, or Smolensk NPP, is a nuclear power station in Russia. It is located in the Smolensk region, in Desnogorsk province, approximately 150 km from Smolensk, 120 km from Bryansk and 320 km from Moscow. Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is the biggest NPP in the Nechernozem region of Russia.

Smolensk Nuclear power station operates three RBMK-1000 reactors (1000MW water-cooled graphite-moderated channel-type reactors). The plant was supposed to have four units but the construction of the 4th reactor was stopped in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster.

All the units are equipped with emergency response systems, which can prevent release of radioactive material into the environment even in case of serious accident; for example breakage of pipes in the reactor cooling circuit. The reactor cooling circuit is housed in hermetic reinforced concrete boxes that can withstand a force of 4.5 kg/cm2.

Unit Reactor type Net
capacity
Gross
capacity
Smolensk - 1 RBMK-1000 925 MW 1,000 MW
Smolensk - 2 RBMK-1000 925 MW 1,000 MW
Smolensk - 3 RBMK-1000 925 MW 1,000 MW
Smolensk - 4 RBMK-1000 925 MW 1,000 MW
Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant
Country Russia
Coordinates 54°10′8.98″N 33°14′47.89″E / 54.1691611°N 33.2466361°E / 54.1691611; 33.2466361
Status Operational
Construction began October 1, 1975
Commission date December 9, 1982
Operator(s) Energoatom

Reactor information
Reactors operational 3 x 1000 MW

Power generation information
Annual generation 5093 GW·h
Net generation 118,699 GW·h

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

The Perry Nuclear Power Plant is located on a 1,100-acre (450 ha) site on Lake Erie, 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Cleveland in North Perry, Ohio, USA. The nuclear power plant is owned by First Energy Nuclear Operating Corporation.

Perry was the 100th power reactor licensed in the United States.

The reactor of Perry Nuclear Power Plant is a General Electric BWR-6 boiling water reactor design, with a Mark III containment design. The original core power level of 3,579 megawatts thermal was increased to 3,758 megawatts thermal in 2000, making Perry one of the largest BWRs in the United States.

Built at a cost of $6 billion, Perry-1 is one of the most expensive power plants ever constructed.


Perry Nuclear Power Plant was originally designed as a two-unit installation, but construction on Unit 2 was suspended in 1985 and formally canceled in 1994. At the time of cancellation, all of the major buildings and structures for the second unit were completed, including the 500-foot-tall (150 m) cooling tower. It is possible that a second unit could be constructed on the site, but current economical and regulatory conditions are not conducive to doing so (in addition to back taxes that would be due to the "abandon in place" designations on many objects in Unit 2). At any rate, the second unit would have to be re-built from the ground up to accommodate the newer reactor design that would almost certainly be installed.

On Sunday March 28, 2010, there was a fire in a lubrication system for one of the water pumps that feeds water for generation of steam. Reactor power was reduced to 70% as a safety precaution, and the fire was extinguished in less than three hours. Two plant fire brigade personnel were brought to a local hospital for "heat stress" following the fire. No customers lost power during this event.

In addition to Perry Nuclear Power Plant, First Energy also owns and operates the Davis-Besse and Beaver Valley nuclear plants.


Unit 1 Unit 2
Reactor Type BWR-6 BWR-6
Reactor Manufacturer General Electric General Electric
Turbine Manufacturer General Electric General Electric
Thermal Power 3,758 megawatts Unit canceled in 1994
Electrical Output 1,260 megawatts Unit canceled in 1994
Transmission System Connection 345,000 volts Unit canceled in 1994
Construction Permit Issued May 3, 1977 May 3, 1977 (construction suspended in 1985)
Initial Criticality June, 1986 Unit canceled in 1994
First Electrical Generation November 13, 1986 Unit canceled in 1994
Operational Date November 18, 1987 Unit canceled in 1994
Expiration of Original License March 18, 2026 Unit canceled in 1994

Ownership

The reactor is owned and operated by FirstEnergy. Four of its subsidiaries each own a share in the plant:

Company Percentage Notes
Cleveland Electric Illuminating 44.9%
Ohio Edison 30%
Pennsylvania Power 5.2% Ohio Edison subsidiary
Toledo Edison 19.9%

Perry Nuclear Power Plant
Country United States
Locale Perry, Ohio
Coordinates 41°48′3″N 81°8′36″W / 41.80083°N 81.14333°W / 41.80083; -81.14333 / 41.80083; -81.14333
Status Operational
Commission date November 18, 1987
Licence expiration March 18, 2026
Construction cost $6 billion
Owner(s) Cleveland Electric (44.9%),
Ohio Edison (30%),
Toledo Edison (19.9%),
Pennsylvania Power (5.2%)
Operator(s) FirstEnergy Nuclear
Architect(s) Gilbert Associates

Reactor information
Reactors operational 1 x 1231 MW
Reactors cancelled 1 x 1231 MW
Reactor type(s) boiling water reactor
Reactor supplier(s) General Electric

Power generation information
Annual generation 8,058 GW·h

Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant

The Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant is located about 200 kilometres (120 mi) north west of Moscow, in Tver Oblast near the town of Udomlya. Owner and operator of the plant is the state enterprise Energoatom. Kalinin Nuclear Power Station supplies the majority of electricity in the Tver region and additionally serves Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Vladimir. In 2005 the nuclear power station fed 17.3 TWh (62,000 TJ) into the grid. The station's four 150 metres (490 ft) tall cooling towers are local landmarks. They were manufactured in 96 concrete sections each.

By March 2009 the containment structure of the new Kalinin Unit 4 reactor was nearly complete. This reactor is planned to become operational in 2011.

The Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant has four nuclear reactor units:

Unit Reactor type Net
capacity
Gross
capacity
Commercial
Operation
Shutdown
Kalinin - 1 VVER-1000/338 950 MW 1,000 MW 1985/06/12 2014
Kalinin - 2 VVER-1000/338 950 MW 1,000 MW 1987/03/03 2016
Kalinin - 3 VVER-1000/320 950 MW 1,000 MW 2005/11/08 2043
Kalinin - 4 VVER-1000/320 950 MW 1,000 MW - -


Kalinin Nuclear Power Plant
Country Russia
Coordinates 57°54′20″N 35°03′37″E / 57.90556°N 35.06028°E / 57.90556; 35.06028 / 57.90556; 35.06028
Status Operational
Construction began February 1, 1977
Commission date June 12, 1985
Operator(s) Energoatom

Reactor information
Reactors operational 3 x 1000 MW
Reactors under construction 1 x 1000 MW

Power generation information
Annual generation 20,106 GW·h
Net generation 261,722 GW·h

Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant

Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant in Forsmark, Sweden, and also the site of the Swedish Final repository for radioactive operational waste. It is operated by a subsidiary of Vattenfall.

Forsmark Nuclear Reactors

Forsmark NPP has three Boiling water reactors:

  • F1 with an ABB Atom BWR 69 at 2928 MW thermal and 1010 MWe net was first connected to the grid on 5 June, 1980, and commenced commercial operation on 10 December, 1980. It has two turbo-alternators.
  • F2 with an ABB Atom BWR 69 at 2928 MW thermal and 1010 MWe net was first grid connected on 15 December, 1980 and commenced commercial operation on 7 July, 1981. It is a twin of Unit 1.
  • F3 with an ABB Atom BWR 75 at 3300 MW thermal and 1190 MWe net and was first grid connected on 3 March, 1985 and commenced commercial operation on 21 August, 1985. It is a later design with one turbo-alternator.

Other facilities

West of Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant, there is the static inverter of HVDC Fenno-Skan.

Nuclear Waste disposal

Forsmark is the proposed site for the long-term burial of all spent fuel from Swedish nuclear power reactors, using the KBS-3 process. The new site will be located next to the already existing final repository for radioactive operational waste, but the two will not be connected with each other.

April 1986

On April 27, 1986, unusually high levels of radiation were detected in workers' clothing at this plant, prompting concerns of a radiation leak. No leak was found, however, and the radiation was subsequently determined to have originated from Chernobyl, where a reactor had exploded the previous day. Chernobyl is approximately 1,100 km from this power plant.

Detection of rise of environmental radioactivity at Forsmark was crucial in leading Soviet authorities, originally attempting to cover up the disaster, to admit that a nuclear incident had taken place in Pripyat. This, in turn, was the immediate trigger for evacuation of Pripyat, which Soviets had considered unnecessary for more than 36 hours following the explosions.

July 2006 incident

On 25 July 2006, one reactor was shut down after an electrical fault. According to the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspection authority SKI the incident was rated 2 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. According to Lars-Olov Höglund, a former construction chief at Vattenfall, it is the most serious nuclear incident in the world since the Chernobyl disaster and it was pure luck that prevented a meltdown. Both the SKI and the safety chief of Forsmark power plant disagree with that opinion and state that the incident was serious but the description provided by Höglund was incorrect and there was no risk of a meltdown.

Lars-Olov Höglund has been involved in a personal legal dispute with Forsmark Nuclear powerplant for several years.

However, SKI also writes about the failing safety system in that finding out that safety functions proved to be linked together in a delicate way is extremely serious.

February 2007 shutdown

On February 3, two units at Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant were shut down to inspect a rubber seal in one of the safety systems. On Forsmark 1 this seal needed to be replaced, a job that would take approximately one month. Unit 2 was cleared by the regulator SKI and was free to restart.

In January an internal report made by a few employees at Forsmark who were concerned over a "degrading safety culture" was leaked to media who ran an extensive story on it. In the storm following the report the Forsmark CEO chose to resign. Forsmark was already under way to implement a 60-point program designed to improve safety culture, designed shortly after the event in July 2006.

Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant
Country Sweden
Locale Forsmark
Coordinates 60°24′12″N 18°10′0″E / 60.40333°N 18.166667°E / 60.40333; 18.166667 / 60.40333; 18.166667
Status Operational
Commission date 1980
Operator(s) Vattenfall

Reactor information
Reactors operational 2 x 2928 MW
1 x 3300 MW
Reactor type(s) Boiling water reactor

Power generation information
Net generation 22300 GW·h

Chooz Nuclear Power Plant

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station (Centrale nucléaire de Chooz) lies in the municipality of Chooz in the Ardennes department, France, on the Meuse close to the border with Belgium, between the French city of Charleville-Mézières and the Belgian municipality of Dinant.

The first reactor Chooz A, an early PWR design, was shut down in 1991 after an operational life of 22 years.

Two units of the N4 reactor design are currently operation, Chooz B1 and Chooz B2. Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe, power was uprated to 1500 MWe in 2003.

A fourth nuclear reactor, of the EPR type, is under study by EDF.

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station employs around 700 full time workers.

The Chooz Nuclear Power Station reactors were a source of neutrinos for the CHOOZ neutrino oscillation experiment; a new experiment, Double CHOOZ, is currently under construction nearby.

Chooz Nuclear Power Plant
Official name Centrale Nucléaire de Chooz
Country France
Locale Chooz, Ardennes
Coordinates 50°5′24″N 4°47′22″E / 50.09°N 4.78944°E / 50.09; 4.78944 / 50.09; 4.78944
Status Operational
Construction began 1960
Commission date April 15, 1967 (April 15, 1967)
Decommission date 1991 (Chooz A)
Operator(s) EDF
Developer(s) Societé d'Energie Nucleaire Franco-Belge des Ardennes
Constructor(s) Bouygues

Reactor information
Reactors operational 2 x 1560 MW
Reactors decom. 1 x 320 MW
Reactor type(s) PWR
Reactor supplier(s) Framatome

Turbine information
Manufacturer(s) Alstom

Power generation information
Installed capacity 3,120 MW
Annual generation 19,306 GW·h
Net generation 195,081 GW·h
As of 10 November 2010
Reactors
Unit Type Net power Total power
Chooz - A (Ardennes) PWR 310 MW 320 MW
Chooz - B 1 PWR 1500 MW 1560 MW
Chooz - B 2 PWR 1500 MW 1560 MW

Civaux Nuclear Power Plant

The Civaux Nuclear Power Plant is located in the commune of Civaux (Vienne) at the edge of Vienne River between Confolens (55 km upstream) and Chauvigny (16 km downstream), and 34 km south-east of Poitiers.

Civaux Nuclear Power Plant has two operating units that were the precursors to the European Pressurized Reactor, being the "N4 stage". Designed for a net power output of 1450 MWe per unit, power was uprated to 1495 MWe in 2003. Water from the Vienne River is used for cooling.

As of 2004, 692 people work at the plant, with 12.9% women.

On May 12, 1998 there was a leak on an elbow in a pipe of the RCS. Water leaked out at the rate of 30 cubic meters per hour. It was classified as 2 on the INES scale.

REACTORS

Unit Type Net power Total power Commercial operation
CIVAUX-1 PWR 1495 MW 1561 MW 2002/01/29
CIVAUX-2 PWR 1495 MW 1561 MW 2002/04/23
Civaux Nuclear Power Plant
Official name Centrale Nucléaire de Civaux
Country France
Locale Civaux (Vienne)
Coordinates 46°27′24″N 0°39′10″E / 46.45667°N 0.65278°E / 46.45667; 0.65278 / 46.45667; 0.65278
Status Operational
Construction began 1988
Commission date 2002
Operator(s) EDF
Constructor(s) Bouygues

Reactor information
Reactors operational 2 x 1561 MW
Reactor type(s) PWR
Reactor supplier(s) Framatome

Turbine information
Manufacturer(s) Alstom

Power generation information
Installed capacity 3,122 MW
Annual generation 21,458 GW·h
Net generation 130,417 GW·h