Clinton Nuclear Power Plant

The Clinton Nuclear Power Plant is located near Clinton, Illinois, USA. The nuclear power station has a General Electric boiling water reactor on a 14,300 acres (57.9 km2) site with an adjacent 5,000 acres (20.2 km2) cooling reservoir, Clinton Lake. Due to inflation and cost overruns, Clinton's final construction cost exceeded $2.6 billion. The power station began service on April 24, 1987 and is currently capable of generating 1,043 MW.

After more than a decade of operation the plant's original owner, Illinois Power, deduced that it was not economical to own and operate only one nuclear generating station. They subsequently sold Clinton Nuclear Power Plant to Exelon Corporation for a more modest price of $40 million dollars, with the purchase including the fuel in the reactor vessel and responsibility of all the radioactive waste in the spent fuel storage pool. The reactor design is of the type called the Generation II reactor. Clinton Nuclear Power Plant is a BWR-6 with a Mark III containment structure. The present reactor operating license was issued April 17, 1987, and will expire September 29, 2026.

The Operator and Owner is the Exelon Corporation.

In September 2003, Exelon submitted an Early Site Permit to place a second reactor at the Clinton site — this was approved March 15, 2007. The Early Site Permit does not actually grant any type of license to begin building a second reactor, although it offers the operator an avenue to begin the approval process leading to construction and operation of an additional power reactor at the site. According to the ESP, the new plant design will be of the AP1000 type, although the ESP does not state what gross wattage has been selected.

Clinton Nuclear Power Plant
Country United States
Locale Clinton, Illinois
Coordinates 40°10′20″N 88°50′6″W / 40.17222°N 88.835°W / 40.17222; -88.835 / 40.17222; -88.835
Status Operational
Commission date April 24, 1987
Licence expiration September 29, 2026
Construction cost >$2.6 billion
Operator(s) Exelon Corporation
Architect(s) Sargent & Lundy

Reactor information
Reactors operational 1 x 1043 MW
Reactors planned 1 at least 1,100 MW
Reactor type(s) boiling water reactor
Reactor supplier(s) General Electric

Power generation information
Annual generation 9,250 GW·h

Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of Boston and 10 miles (16 km) south of Portsmouth. Two units (reactors) were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns and troubles obtaining financing. The construction permit for the plant was granted in 1976 and construction on Unit 1 was completed in 1986. Full power operation of Unit 1 began in 1990. Unit 2 has been canceled and most of its major components sold to other plants.

The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant was originally owned by more than 10 separate utility companies serving five New England states. In 2002, most sold their shares to FPL Energy (a subsidiary of FPL Group), later known as NextEra Energy Resources. NextEra Energy now owns 88.2% of Seabrook Station. The remaining portion is owned by municipal utilities in Massachusetts.

The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant is one of five nuclear generating facilities operated by FPL Group. The other four are St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant and Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station operated by sister company Florida Power & Light (a regulated utility), and the Duane Arnold Energy Center and Point Beach Nuclear Generating Station operated by NextEra.

In 2010, the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant applied to have its operating license extended from 2030 to 2050.

The Wackenhut Corporation provides plant security to three of the four sites. Seabrook, St. Lucie, and Turkey Point experienced security related problems between 2004 and 2006. At Seabrook, US Congressmen and the NRC investigated reports that a newly installed security fence had not worked properly since its installation six months earlier, in addition to reports of overworked security officers.

A second reactor was proposed in 1972 and canceled in 1988.

During the 2008 presidential election, Republican nominee John McCain mentioned the possibility of building the once-planned second reactor at Seabrook. The idea drew cautious support from some officials, but would be difficult due to financial and regulatory reasons.

Technical details of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

  • Generation: 1,296 MWe at full power (since uprate)
  • One Westinghouse pressurized water reactor
  • Cooled by water from Atlantic Ocean
Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant
Locale Seabrook, New Hampshire
Coordinates 42°53′56″N 70°51′03″W / 42.89889°N 70.85083°W / 42.89889; -70.85083 / 42.89889; -70.85083
Status Operational
Construction began United Engineers and Constructors
Commission date March 15, 1990
Licence expiration October 17, 2026
Operator(s) NextEra Energy Resources

Reactor information
Reactor type(s) PWR
Reactor supplier(s) Westinghouse

Power station information
Generation units 1 - 22kV GE

Power generation information
Installed capacity 1244 MW
Annual generation 10,763 GW·h