Nuclear provides 93 percent of Pennsylvania’s carbon-free electricity. Fifty miles southeast of the state capital, Harrisburg, Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station is a key part of an industry that supports 500 companies and 16,000 jobs in the state. Here are five ways Peach Bottom is at the cutting edge of national trends in nuclear energy:
- It’s more powerful now than ever. The two operating reactors at Peach Bottom are a key element of the backbone of regional electricity supply. They can produce 10 percent of the peak demand for the entire state of Pennsylvania. Power output is more than 23 percent higher than when the reactors began operation, because of improvements to turbines, pumps, instrumentation and other components. Nationally, nuclear plants have added about 8,000 megawatts to their capacity, increasing their output without having to expand their footprints.
- It’s a major environmental asset. The reactors displace fossil-fired energy that would release 19 million tons of CO2 a year, along with particulates and sulfur dioxide. Peach Bottom produces six times more electricity than all the wind and solar in Pennsylvania.
- It’s reliable. Each reactor runs for two years between refuelings, and those take three weeks or so. Between them, the reactors have had only one unscheduled shutdown in the last seven years. They run more than 90 percent of the hours in a year. Improved performance like that is now common among reactors and a contrast to when they were first built and operated only about 60 percent of the hours in a year.
- It’s long-lived. Peach Bottom 2 and 3 began commercial operation in 1974. Unit 2’s initial license expired in 2013, and Unit 3’s in 2014. Both got 20-year extensions, and Exelon Corp. applied last year for a second round of 20-year extensions. Peach Bottom will be one of the first plants to go through that process, called second license renewal. Innovation drives the nuclear industry; throughout their operation, plants are continuously upgraded with the latest technology and monitored for optimal performance. An extended license would allow Peach Bottom to continue delivering zero-carbon energy beyond the middle of this century and will delay the need to build a new power plant somewhere else. Peach Bottom will be the first boiling water plant to get a second license extension.
- It’s a good neighbor. Peach Bottom employs 775 people full-time, and up to 2,000 more during the periods when it shuts for refueling. It has an annual payroll of $85 million, and pays $1.5 million in property taxes. Last year, plant employees donated $540,000 to local charities. Across the country, nuclear plants support their local communities.
Peach Bottom and all of America’s 98 nuclear plants offer countless benefits to the local community, our grid and the country as a whole. Pennsylvanians can be proud of the role nuclear plays in the clean energy future of their state and the country.
