Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant

Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant is located in Somervell County, Texas. The nuclear power plant is located 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Ft. Worth and about 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Dallas. It relies on nearby Squaw Creek Reservoir for cooling water. The plant has about 1,300 employees and is operated by Luminant Generation, a subsidiary of Vistra Energy.

Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant
Comanche Peak's twin containment domes in August 2017
CountryUnited States
LocationSomervell County, near Glen Rose, Texas
Coordinates32°17′54″N 97°47′6″W
StatusOperational
Construction beganDecember 19, 1974
Commission dateUnit 1: August 13, 1990
Unit 2: August 3, 1993
Owner(s)Luminant
Operator(s)Luminant Generation Company LLC[lower-alpha 1]
Nuclear power station
Reactor typePWR
Reactor supplierWestinghouse
Cooling sourceSquaw Creek Reservoir
Thermal capacity2 × 3612 MWth
Power generation
Units operational1 × 1218 MW
1 × 1207 MW
Make and modelWH 4-loop (DRYAMB)
Units planned2 × 1700 MW
Nameplate capacity2425 MW
Capacity factor80.30% (2017)
88.40% (lifetime)
Annual net output17,058 GWh (2017)
External links
Websitewww.luminant.com/plants/comanche_peak.aspx
CommonsRelated media on Commons

Construction of the two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors began in 1974. Unit 1, originally rated at 1,084 MWe, came online on April 17, 1990. Its current, 40-year operating license is valid until February 8, 2030. Unit 2, 1,124 MWe, followed on April 6, 1993 and is licensed to operate until February 2, 2033 when it has to renew its license. As of 2018 Unit 2 was the third-to-last power reactor to come online in the United States, followed only by Units 1 and 2 of Watts Bar Nuclear Generating Station.

In June 2008, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a request to increase the generating capacity of Units 1 and 2 by approximately 4.5% each. Luminant Generation Co. implemented the changes during refueling outages. Unit 1 was uprated in autumn 2008 with a capacity increase of approximately 1,210 to 1,259 MWe and Unit 2, the capacity of which rose from an estimated 1,208 to 1,245 MWe, was uprated in autumn 2009.[1]

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[2]

The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16 km) of Comanche Peak was 30,653, an increase of 44.1 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80 km) was 1,755,528, an increase of 22.9 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Fort Worth (41 miles to city center).[3]

Proposed units 3 and 4

On September 19, 2008, Luminant filed an application with the NRC for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for two new reactors.[4] The reactor design selected is the US version of the 1,700 MWe Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (US-APWR), developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). The project is a joint venture, with Luminant owning 88 percent and 12 percent owned by MHI.[5] Luminant did not release an estimate of the project's cost, but CEO David Campbell said Luminant would try to build its new reactors at the low end of current industry estimates, which he said range from $2,500 to $6,000 a kilowatt — $8.5 billion to $20.4 billion for a 3,400 MW plant.[6]

Some environmental and anti-nuclear organizations and individuals opposed the plant expansion, citing environmental, public safety and cost concerns. These included the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition, Public Citizen and state representative Lon Burnam.[7]

As of November 2013, expansion had been suspended due a natural gas boom dramatically lowering power prices in Texas, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries suspending development of its reactor design to focus on restarting its reactors in Japan. The Texas power generation company did not withdraw its application to the NRC entirely, leaving open the possibility that it might eventually expand.[8][9]

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Comanche Peak was 1 in 250,000, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[10][11]

Reactor data

The Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant consists of two operational reactors, two additional units are planned.

Reactor unit[12] Reactor type Capacity Construction started Electricity grid connection Commercial operation Shutdown
Net Gross
Comanche Peak-1 Westinghouse 4-loop 1209 MW 1259 MW 19.12.1974 24.04.1990 13.08.1990
Comanche Peak-2 Westinghouse 4-loop 1197 MW 1250 MW 19.12.1974 09.04.1993 03.08.1993
Comanche Peak-3 (planned)[13] US-APWR 1700 MW MW
Comanche Peak-4 (planned)[14] US-APWR 1700 MW MW

See also

Notes
  1. Technically it's unclear if the operator is Luminant Generation Company LLC or Vistra Operations Company LLC, as the NRC lists the plant's operator as TEX Operations Company LLC, which was the former name of Vistra Operations Company LLC, yet PRIS lists Luminant Generation Company LLC. However since Luminant is indirectly owned by Vistra, it seems to be a moot point, so the operator listed is the one from PRIS (which is more likely to be up to date).

References
  1. "Comanche Peak to increase output". World Nuclear News. 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2013-12-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Bill Dedman, Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors, NBC News, April 14, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42555888 Accessed May 1, 2011.
  4. "Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Units 3 and 4 Application". U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  5. "Luminant seeks permission to expand nuclear power plant". Dallas Business Journal. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  6. O'Grady, Eileen (2008-09-19). "Luminant seeks new reactor, 3rd Texas filing". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  7. Hearing today involves opponents to new reactors at Comanche Peak
  8. Expansion of Comanche Peak nuclear power plant suspended
  9. "Mitsubishi delays certification of APWR". World Nuclear News. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  10. Bill Dedman, "What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk," NBC News, March 17, 2011 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42103936 Accessed April 19, 2011.
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2011-04-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „United States of America: Nuclear Power Reactors- Alphabetic“ Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „Nuclear Power Reactor Details - COMANCHE PEAK-3“
  14. Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA: „Nuclear Power Reactor Details - COMANCHE PEAK-4“
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