South Texas Nuclear Generating Station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| South Texas Nuclear Generating Station | |
 South Texas Project, Units 1 & 2. (NRC image.)
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| Data | |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| Location | Near Bay City, Texas |
| Coordinates | 28°47′44″N 96°02′56″W / 28.7955°N 96.0490°WCoordinates: 28°47′44″N 96°02′56″W / 28.7955°N 96.0490°W |
| Owner | NRG Energy 44% City of San Antonio 40% City of Austin 16% |
| Operator | STP Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) |
| Built | 1975–89 |
| Start of commercial operation | Unit 1: August 25, 1988 Unit 2: June 19, 1989 |
| Reactors | |
| Reactor supplier | Westinghouse |
| Reactor type | Pressurized water reactor |
| Reactors active | 2 (2,500 MW) |
| Reactors planned | 2 (2,716 MW) |
| Power | |
| Total power generation in 2007 | 22,179 GW·h |
| Status | Operating |
| Other details | |
| Architect | Start: Brown & Root Finish: Bechtel Corp. |
| Cost | $5.5 billion |
| Constructors | Start: Brown & Root Finish: Ebasco Constructors, Inc. |
| License expires | Unit 1: August 20, 2027 Unit 2: December 15, 2028 |
| NRC region | Region 4 |
| Website www.stpnoc.com |
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| NRC Region Four (West) |
|---|
| Arizona |
| Palo Verde |
| Arkansas |
| Arkansas 1 |
| California |
| Diablo Canyon San Onofre |
| Kansas |
| Wolf Creek |
| Louisiana |
| River Bend Waterford |
| Mississippi |
| Grand Gulf Yellow Creek* |
| Missouri |
| Callaway |
| Nebraska |
| Cooper Fort Calhoun |
| Texas |
| Comanche Peak South Texas |
| Washington |
| Columbia |
|
* unfinished |
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The South Texas Nuclear Generating Station, also known as the South Texas Project (STP), is a nuclear power station southwest of Bay City, Texas, United States. The STP occupies a 12,200 acre (49 km²) site on the Colorado River about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Houston. The STP was the first nuclear power plant in Texas. In 1996, the two South Texas units, both Westinghouse pressurized water reactors, were two of the top 20 electricity generating nuclear units worldwide.
STP is unique in its design of the safety systems for the reactors. Each unit has three, rather than the customary two, fully independent emergency core cooling systems and associated support systems. However the addition of the third safety train was not fully recognized and credited by nuclear safety regulations during the plant licensing process. The third ECCS system provides significant real risk reduction, and the utility undertook efforts to gain regulatory recognition of these features. These efforts led in part to the plants engineering staff becoming early industry leaders in analytical risk modeling and real-time management of risk during operations and maintenance activities.
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[edit] History
On December 6, 1971, Houston Lighting & Power Co. (HL&P), the City of Austin, the City of San Antonio, and the Central Power and Light Co. (CPL) initiated a feasibility study of constructing a jointly-owned nuclear plant. The initial cost estimate for the plant was $974 million.
By mid-1973, HL&P and CPL had chosen Bay City as the site for the project and San Antonio had signed on as a partner in the project. Brown and Root was selected as the architect and construction company. On November 17, 1973 voters in Austin narrowly approved their city's participation[1] and the city signed onto the project on December 1. Austin held several more referendums through the years on whether to stay in the project or not.[2][3][4]
An application for plant construction permits was submitted to the Atomic Energy Commission (now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)) in May, 1974 and the NRC issued the permits on December 22, 1975. Construction started at December 22, 1975.[5]
By 1981, the South Texas Project was four years behind schedule and had substantial cost overruns. Brown and Root revised their completion schedule to June, 1989 and the cost estimate to $4.4–$4.8 billion. Brown and Root was relieved as architect in September and Bechtel Corporation contracted to replace them. Less than two months later, Brown and Root withdrew as the construction contractor and Ebasco Constructors was hired to replace them in February, 1982.
Austin voters authorized the City Council on November 3, 1981 to sell the city's 16 percent interest in the STP.[6] No buyers were found.
Unit 1 reached initial criticality on March 8, 1988 and went into commercial operation on August 25. Unit 2 reached initial criticality on March 12, 1989 and went into commercial operation on June 19.
In February 1993, both units had to be taken offline to resolve problems with the steam-driven auxiliary feedwater pumps. They were not back in service until March (Unit 1) and May (Unit 2) of 1994.
[edit] Ownership
The reactors are operated by the STP Nuclear Operating Company. Ownership is divided among NRG Energy at 44 percent, San Antonio municipal utility CPS Energy at 40 percent and Austin Energy at 16 percent.[7]
[edit] Future expansion
On June 19, 2006 NRG Energy filed a Letter Of Intent with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build two 1,358-MWe Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWRs) at the South Texas Project site.[8] South Texas Project Partners CPS Energy and Austin Power and Light were not involved in the initial Letter of Intent and development plans.
On September 24, 2007, NRG Energy filed a full application with the NRC to build two Toshiba ABWRs at the South Texas Project site.[8] This was the first full application to be submitted to the NRC since the year 1979. This proposed expansion of the South Texas Project will generate an additional 2,700 MW of electrical generating capacity, which will ultimately double the capacity of the current site.[9] The total estimated cost of constructing the two reactors is $10 billion, or $13 billion with financing, according to Steve Bartley, interim general manager at CPS Energy.[10]
[edit] References
- ^ "General Municipal Election: November 17, 1973" City of Austin
- ^ "General Municipal Election: August 14, 1976" City of Austin
- ^ "General Municipal Election: January 20, 1979" City of Austin
- ^ "General Municipal Election: April 7, 1979" City of Austin
- ^ Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: South Texas
- ^ "General Municipal Election: November 3, 1981" City of Austin
- ^ "About Us" South Texas Project Nucler Operating Company
- ^ a b "EPC Next Step In CPS Energy's Evaluation of Nuclear Option" CPS Energy
- ^ "NRG Files First Full Application for U.S. Reactor" Bloomberg.com
- ^ "CPS Energy sees need for new STP units". World Nuclear News. 30 June 2009. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-CPS_Energy_sees_need_for_new_STP_units-3006095.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-28.
- "Milestones". South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company. Retrieved Jul. 14, 2005.
- "CenterPoint Energy Historical Timeline". CenterPoint Energy. Retrieved Jul. 14, 2005.
