Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant | |
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 Shearon Harris Unit 1
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| Data | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Location | New Hill, Wake County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°38.0′N 78°57.3′W / 35.633°N 78.955°WCoordinates: 35°38.0′N 78°57.3′W / 35.633°N 78.955°W |
| Operator | Progress Energy |
| Start of commercial operation | May 2, 1987 |
| Reactors | |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Reactors active | 1 (900 MW) |
| Reactors planned | 2 (each 1,100 MW) |
| Power | |
| Capacity | 900 MW |
| Total power generation in 2007 | 7,404 GW·h |
| Net generation | >142,000UNIQ7c674d14,294,169c-ref-00,000,000-QINU GW·h |
| Status | Operating |
| Generators | Unit 1: 900 MW |
| Other details | |
| Cost | $3.9 billion |
| License expires | Unit 1: October 24, 2046 |
| NRC region | Region II |
| Website Progress Energy Harris Plant |
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As of January 6, 2008[update]
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| NRC Region Two (South) |
|---|
| Alabama |
| Bellefonte* Browns Ferry Farley |
| Florida |
| Crystal River 3 St. Lucie Turkey Point |
| Georgia |
| Hatch Vogtle |
| North Carolina |
| Brunswick McGuire Shearon Harris |
| South Carolina |
| Catawba Oconee H.B. Robinson Summer |
| Tennessee |
| Sequoyah Watts Bar Phipps Bend* CRBR* Hartsville* |
| Virginia |
| North Anna Surry |
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* unfinished |
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The Shearon Harris Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant with a single Westinghouse designed pressurized-water nuclear reactor operated by Progress Energy. Located in New Hill, North Carolina, in the United States, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Raleigh, it generates 900 MWe, has a 523 foot (160 m) natural draft cooling tower, and uses Harris Lake for cooling. The reactor achieved criticality in January 1987 and began providing power commercially on May 2 of that year.
The Shearon Harris site was originally designed for four reactors, but construction and budget issues resulted in three of the reactors being cancelled.[2] The original budget estimated a cost of $1.1 billion for four reactors; the final cost of the single reactor that was constructed was nearly $4 billion.[3]
On November 16, 2006, the operator applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a renewal and extension of the plant's operating license.[4] The NRC granted the renewal on December 17, 2008, extending the license from forty years to sixty.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Units 2 & 3
On February 19, 2008 Progress Energy filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL). It seeks to build two 1,100 MWe Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactors. Although the NRC has already certified the AP1000 design, the application review is expected to take about 36 months. The new reactors would not be operational before 2018.[6]
Expansion of the plant will require raising the water level of Harris Lake by 20 feet,[7] decreasing the size of Wake County's largest park, with the Cape Fear River as a backup water source.
[edit] Controversy
The Raleigh–Durham area of North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in America, and with that growth comes increased demand for electricity. (Raleigh is located in Wake County, the site of Shearon Harris.) However, nuclear reactors are a highly contentious issue among some citizens of North Carolina.[8] Citizen groups maintain that Shearon Harris' safety and security record is insufficient.[9] However, the plant's technical and security systems have passed Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) standards[10] as of 2008[update], including protection and security. Nonetheless, opponents cite at least one incident that highlights weaknesses with the security safeguards. The transport of the waste from those two plants to Shearon Harris takes place six times a year and involves loading shipping casks onto heavily-guarded trains and trucks. In 2002, between one and two "inmates on work release" accidentally boarded a train that was carrying nuclear waste to Shearon Harris.[11] However, there are no longer shipments of spent fuel between Shearon Harris and other power plants. These issues led to the formation of citizens' action groups such as NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network). However, in August of 2007, NC WARN dropped a lawsuit against Progress Energy that was intended to delay or prevent expansion of Shearon Harris, claiming that continuing their legal battle would cost at least $200,000.[12]
[edit] Passive fire protection
Shearon Harris, not unlike other NRC licensees, has used Thermo-Lag endothermic fireproofing for the purpose of circuit integrity to protect safe-shutdown wiring between the nuclear reactor and the control room. The Thermo-Lag scandal became known as a result of disclosures by whistleblower Gerald W. Brown. To mitigate the problem, the plant used another fireproofing system, which subsequently also failed fire testing, requiring the operator to use further means to mitigate the problem.
[edit] References
- ^ "Progress Energy granted 20-year license renewal for Harris Plant". Progress Energy Inc.. December 17, 2008. http://www.progress-energy.com/aboutus/news/article.asp?id=20382. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ Nuclear Power Generation and Fuel Cycle Report 1997 p. 67.
- ^ Murawski, John (2007-10-24). "Triangle picked as a nuclear site". Raleigh News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/104/story/392027.html. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ "Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant - License Renewal Application". Operating Reactor Licensing. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). December 1, 2008. http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/harris.html. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "Shearon Harris operating licence extended". World Nuclear News. December 18, 2008. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=24191. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ "Submission for new nuclear at Harris". World Nuclear News. 19 February 2008. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN/Submission_for_new_nuclear_at_Harris_190208.html?terms=harris. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ Murawski, John (2007-09-20). "Progress prepares for new reactors". Raleigh News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/business/nc/nuclearpower/story/709925.html. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ See for example: The Gender Gap and Nuclear Power: Attitudes in a Politicized Environment, L.S. Solomon, D. Tomaskovic-Devey and B.J. Risman, Sex Roles, No. 5/6 1989
- ^ Sturgis, Sue (2006-03-29). "The Report is Bullshit". The Independent Weekly. http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A29678. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ NRC Performance Summary, 1Q 2008
- ^ Waren, Jim (2002-04-30). "Security Breach on Nuclear Waste Train. Inmates Jump Wrong Train, Revealing Vulnerability of CP&L Shipments". Nuclear Information and Resource Service. http://www.nirs.org/press/04-30-2002/1. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ Murawski, John (2007-08-21). "Nuclear license fight dropped". Raleigh News & Observer. http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/677401.html. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
[edit] External links
- NRC treatise on circuit integrity measures, including Shearon Harris
- NRC Public Information regarding the Units 2 & 3 Expansion Proposal
- DoE information
- INDY News article about local opposition to NRC safety oversight
- http://www.nukeworker.com/pictures/thumbnails-101.html
- http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm
