Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
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Coordinates: 42°53′56″N 70°51′03″W / 42.89889°N 70.85083°W
| Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant | |
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 Seabrook Station
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| Data | |
| Location | Seabrook, New Hampshire |
| Operator | NextEra Energy Resources |
| Start of commercial operation | March 15, 1990 |
| Reactors | |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Power | |
| Capacity | 1,244 MW |
| Total power generation in 2007 | 10,763 GW·h |
| Average annual generation (last 5 yrs) | 9,814 GW·h |
| Status | Operating |
| Generators | 1 - 22kV GE |
| Other details | |
| License expires | October 17, 2026 |
| NRC region | 1 |
| Website Seabrook Station |
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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 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 station 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.
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.[1][2][3][4][5]
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[edit] Public opposition
The 1976 controversy involved the Clamshell Alliance, an anti-nuclear organization formed to protest the construction of the plant. Several small demonstrations at the site occurred in the lead-up to a massive occupation of Seabrook. More than 2,000 members of the Clamshell Alliance occupied the site in April, 1977. 1,414 of the activists were arrested and held for two weeks refusing bail.[6] Over a period of thirteen years, from 1976 to 1989, over 4,000 citizens "committed nonviolent civil disobedience at Seabrook in the effort to stop nuclear power".[7]
Another vocal opponent of the plant was former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who blocked the opening for several years due to environmental issues as well as concern about emergency evacuation plans. The NRC had stipulated that workable evacuation plans needed to be in place for all towns within a ten-mile radius of the plant. Four Massachusetts towns were within the ten-mile radius and thus Governor Dukakis' approval of evacuation plans was required.[7]
The construction of Seabrook was completed ten years later than expected, with a cost approaching $7 billion. The large debt involved led to the bankruptcy of Seabrook's major utility owner, Public Service Company of New Hampshire. At the time, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy in United States corporate history.[7]
[edit] Second reactor
A second reactor was proposed in 1972 and canceled in 1988.[8]
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. [1]
[edit] Technical details
- Generation: 1,270 MWe at full power
- One Westinghouse pressurized water reactor
- Cooled by water from Atlantic Ocean
[edit] Notes
- ^ Portsmouth Herald Local News: Nuke plant fence was ‘inoperable’
- ^ Hampton Union Local News: Congressmen question NRC
- ^ Portsmouth Herald Editorial: Public has right to know about failded Seabrook Station fence
- ^ Fosters.com - Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME
- ^ Fosters.com - Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME
- ^ The Siege of Seabrook - TIME
- ^ a b c Clamshell Alliance: Thirteen Years of Anti-Nuclear Activism at Seabrook, New Hampshire, U.S.A.
- ^ Nuclear Power Generation and Fuel Cycle Report 1997 p. 67.
[edit] External links
Media related to Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant at Wikimedia Commons- Information on Seabrook Station, at Florida Power & Light site
- Department of Energy Seabrook Page
- May 2007 Congressman Meehan Press Release: "Meehan Investigates Additional Seabrook Security Concerns: Internal Reports Say Security Guards Overworked, Security Chief Underqualified"
- Seabrook Documents Reporting Security Deficiencies, on Congressman Meehan's Website
- Photo essay on the mass arrests at the Seabrook anti-nuclear rally in 1977 at motherjones.com
- Seabrook, NH Nuclear Plant Occupation Page with timeline, scanned articles 1977-2007, images and links
