Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant |
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Shearon Harris Unit 1
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| Country | United States |
| Location | New Hill, Wake County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°38.0′N 78°57.3′W / 35.6333°N 78.9550°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | January 28, 1978 |
| Commission date | May 2, 1987 |
| Construction cost | $4.115 billion (2007 USD) |
| Owner(s) | Progress Energy |
| Operator(s) | Progress Energy |
| Website Harris Nuclear Plant Fact Sheet |
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The Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant is a special kind of power station. It uses a single nuclear reactor to make electricity. This plant is run by Duke Energy. It was named after W. Shearon Harris, who used to be the president of a company called Carolina Power & Light.
The plant is in New Hill, North Carolina, in the United States. It's about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Raleigh. The plant makes 900 MWe of power. It has a very tall cooling tower, which is 523 feet (160 m) high. It uses water from Harris Lake to help cool down its systems. The reactor started working in January 1987. It began providing electricity to homes and businesses on May 2, 1987.
The Shearon Harris site was first designed to hold four reactors. There is still space for them. However, building more reactors became too expensive. Also, the need for more power didn't grow as fast as expected. Because of this, three of the planned reactors were never built. The total cost of the plant was about $3.9 billion. This included important safety upgrades. These upgrades were required after a past event at another nuclear plant.
On November 16, 2006, the company that runs the plant asked for permission to keep it running longer. This request went to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC is a government group that makes sure nuclear plants are safe. On December 17, 2008, the NRC said yes. This allowed the plant to operate for 60 years instead of 40.
Contents
Plans for More Reactors
Why More Reactors Were Considered
On February 19, 2008, the company Progress Energy asked the NRC for permission. They wanted to build two more reactors. These new reactors would be called AP1000 pressurized water reactors. Each one would make 1,100 MWe of power. Even though the NRC had already approved the AP1000 design, reviewing the plan was expected to take about three years. The new reactors would not have been ready before 2018.
Challenges for Expansion
Building more reactors would have meant raising the water level of Harris Lake. This would have made Wake County's biggest park smaller. The Cape Fear River was also considered as a backup water source.
On January 22, 2010, officials announced something interesting. The electrical generator from a damaged reactor at another plant, Three Mile Island, would be used at Shearon Harris. This generator was fixed up and put in place in November 2010.
Why Plans Changed
On May 2, 2013, Duke Energy asked the NRC to stop reviewing the plans for the new reactors. This basically paused the whole project. Duke Energy decided that the new reactors would not be needed within the next 15 years. This is how long state regulators look ahead when planning for power needs. The plans are still officially on file. This means Duke Energy could decide to restart the project later.
How the Reactor Works
The Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant has one reactor that is currently working. Three other reactors were planned a long time ago but were never built. Two more reactors were planned in 2013 but those plans were also stopped.
| Reactor unit | Reactor type | Capacity | Construction started | Electricity grid connection | Commercial operation | Shutdown | |
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| Net | Gross | ||||||
| Shearon Harris-1 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 900 MW | 960 MW | 28 January 1978 | 19 January 1987 | 2 May 1987 | |
| Shearon Harris-2 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 900 MW | 960 MW | 1 January 1978 | Cancelled construction on 1 December 1983 | ||
| Shearon Harris-3 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 900 MW | 960 MW | 1 January 1978 | Cancelled construction on 1 December 1981 | ||
| Shearon Harris-4 | Westinghouse 3-loop | 900 MW | 960 MW | 1 January 1978 | Cancelled construction on 1 December 1981 | ||
| Shearon Harris-2 (cancelled) | AP1000 | 1117 MW | MW | ||||
| Shearon Harris-3 (cancelled) | AP1000 | 1117 MW | MW | ||||
Safety at the Plant
NRC Inspections and Safety Ratings
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regularly checks nuclear power plants. As of September 2017, the Harris plant was one of only three plants in the country that had no safety issues found during the previous year of inspections. This shows a very good safety record.
The NRC also studies how likely it is for an earthquake to cause problems at a plant. In August 2010, the NRC estimated that the chance of an earthquake strong enough to damage the reactor at Shearon Harris was very, very low. It was about 1 in 434,783.
Population Near the Plant
The NRC sets up two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants. The first zone is about 10 miles (16 km) around the plant. This area focuses on protecting people from breathing in any radioactive material if there's an emergency. The second zone is about 50 miles (80 km) around the plant. This zone is about making sure food and water are safe from contamination.
In 2010, about 96,401 people lived within 10 miles of Shearon Harris. This number had grown by 62.6 percent in ten years. About 2,562,573 people lived within 50 miles of the plant. This was an increase of 26.0 percent since 2000. Major cities like Raleigh (21 miles away), Durham (24 miles away), and Fayetteville (39 miles away) are within this 50-mile zone.
The FEMA also checks emergency plans for the plant. In their most recent check, they found no problems or areas that needed fixing. This means the local and state governments have good plans in place for emergencies.
Safety Concerns and Responses
A group called "N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network" (NC-WARN) has raised questions about the plant's safety. They have called its safety and security "insufficient." They even claimed it was "the most dangerous nuclear plant in the US."
However, the plant's technical and security systems have passed all checks by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This was true as of 2008. The plant meets all standards for protection and security. Also, no worker or person living nearby has ever been hurt because of the plant's operation.
Storing Used Fuel
In 2010, some groups talked about safety issues with the plant's "spent fuel pools." These pools hold used nuclear fuel. They are some of the largest in the country.
Between 1999 and 2003, the plant had to shut down 12 times because of major problems. The national average for similar plants is one shutdown every 18 months. Scientists have pointed out that the used fuel pools could be a big risk. They said that recently used fuel could get hot quickly and catch fire. If this happened, it could spread to older fuel. The long-term effects on the land could be very serious.
In August 2007, NC-WARN stopped a lawsuit against Progress Energy. This lawsuit was meant to stop the plant from expanding. The group said continuing the legal fight would cost too much money.
Unplanned Shutdown
On May 16, 2013, Shearon Harris Unit 1 had an unplanned shutdown. This happened because engineers found a small flaw, about 1/4 inch, inside the reactor's thick steel vessel. This flaw was near a part that helps control the reactor. It was caused by a type of corrosion, even though no leakage was found. Because of high radiation levels, robots had to be used to make the repairs.
See also
In Spanish: Central Nuclear Shearon Harris para niños
