Quad Cities nuclear power plant
| Quad Cities nuclear power plant | ||
|---|---|---|
.jpg) |
||
| location | ||
|
||
| Coordinates | 41 ° 43 '35 " N , 90 ° 18' 36" W | |
| Country: | United States | |
| Data | ||
| Owner: | Exelon generation | |
| Operator: | Exelon generation | |
| Project start: | 1967 | |
| Commercial operation: | Dec 14, 1972 | |
|
Active reactors (gross): |
2 (1,824 MW) | |
| Website: | The nuclear power plant on the side of the operator (English) | |
| Was standing: | 19th September 2015 | |
| The data source of the respective entries can be found in the documentation . | ||
_location_map.svg)
The Quad Cities nuclear power plant ( English Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station ) near Cordova in Rock Island County is located on the Mississippi River in western Illinois in the USA . It is named after the nearby Quad Cities region, a metropolitan area on the Illinois Iowa border that includes the four and five cities of Bettendorf, Iowa , Davenport, Iowa , Moline, Illinois , East Moline, Illinois, and Rock Island ( Illinois) belong. The power plant is about a three- hour drive from Chicago and provides electricity for this region. The power plant, which consists of two boiling water reactors from General Electric is has a total net capacity of 1,819 MW. The owner and operator is the Exelon generation .
Reactors
The Quad Cities nuclear power plant consists of the two boiling water reactors Quad Cities-1 and Quad Cities-2. Construction of both reactors began on February 15, 1967. The first unit became critical for the first time on October 18, 1971 , the second on April 16, 1972. On April 12, 1972, Quad Cities-1 was first synchronized with the power grid and has been in commercial operation since February 18, 1973. The first network synchronization of the Quad Cities-2 reactor took place on April 26, 1972, after a five-year construction period it went into commercial operation on March 10, 1973. The reactors were supplied by General Electric .
power
The electrical net output of the reactors is 867 MW each , with a gross output of 912 MW.
cooling
The nuclear power plant has a passive cooling system, so the cooling water for cooling the reactors is taken directly from the Mississippi River .
safety
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 , the security facilities around the power plant were tightened considerably. There is a so-called safety zone around the power plant, which cannot be built on.
The US nuclear regulatory authority has established two emergency zones around nuclear power plants: A restricted zone must be set up within a 10-mile radius in order to avoid contact of the population with the radioactive cloud. Restrictions on radioactively contaminated food and water are to be imposed within a 50 mile radius.
In 2010, 34,350 people lived within a 10-mile radius of the nuclear power plant, 0.5 percent more than ten years earlier. In the same year, 655,207 people lived within a 50-mile radius, 0.3 percent less than 2000. There are cities such as Moline (19 miles from the city center) within a 50-mile radius of the power plant.
Incidents
During a test to increase the output of the boiling water reactors on March 5, 2002, vibrations occurred on a steam line of reactor 2. On March 29th, the power plant was shut down manually as strong vibrations caused leaks in the main control system of the steam generator. The reactor was restarted on April 2nd, but renewed vibrations broke one of the main pipes used to dissipate steam. The pipe was repaired and restarting continued, but on June 7th there were inexplicable irregularities in the main steam pipes. The power plant was taken out of service again on July 11 for repair work. A hole in the steam dryer was found to be the cause - it was repaired and the reactor was put back into operation on July 21, 2002. According to the operator, the incident did not increase the likelihood of an incident. The nuclear supervisory authority examined all repairs and the increase in output was successfully completed.
Economic situation and debate about shutdown date
In 2004, both reactors received a 20-year extension from the US nuclear regulatory authority , which means that they will run until December 14, 2032.
In March 2014, it was announced that all of Exelon's nuclear power plants in Illinois were making losses and that the Quad Cities plant, along with two others, Clinton and Byron, was one of the most unprofitable. The reason for this is the strong competition from high natural gas reserves due to the widespread fracking in the United States . The operator wanted to seek state subsidies for CO 2 -free energy sources, similar to wind and solar power plants, in order to restore the profitability of the systems.
After the state of Illinois did not approve the required subsidies, the situation came to a head in August 2015 and there was speculation that the three nuclear power plants would soon be shut down. In a tender for the sale of electricity from the systems, the system in Byron was able to assert itself, so that its operation is initially secured until the end of May 2019. Quad Cities failed to bid for 2018 and 2019, so this facility can initially continue to operate until the end of May 2018. The unprofitable facility in Clinton was not affected by the tender because it transfers its electricity to another power grid.
In June 2016, operator Exelon announced the shutdown of the power plant on June 1, 2018. Economic reasons were given as the cause; Together with the Clinton nuclear power plant , which is due to be shut down in mid-2017, the power plant has lost around $ 800 million in the past 7 years. In September 2015, the decision was postponed for another year. However, the shutdown plans were withdrawn after Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed Senate Bill 2814 in December 2016 . The power plant is now to remain in operation for another 10 years. Exelon will receive US $ 235 million annually in grants to offset losses from operating the Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear power plants. According to Forbes , Illinois will subsidize electricity from the two nuclear power plants with 1 US cent per kWh in the future . In contrast, subsidies for electricity from wind power in Illinois are 2.3 US cents and for solar systems 21 US cents per kWh.
Operating license
In the USA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) grants an operating license for a nuclear power plant for a period of up to 40 years. The 40 year period was originally based on the fixed asset depreciation period . The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 allows the operating license to be extended (even several times) by 20 years at a time.
The original operating license for Unit 1 was granted to the operator Exelon Generation Co., LLC on December 14, 1972 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). It was extended on October 28, 2004 to December 14, 2032. The original permit for Block 2 was also granted on December 14, 1972. It was also extended on October 28, 2004 to December 14, 2032.
Data of the reactor blocks
The Quad Cities nuclear power plant has a total of two blocks :
| Reactor block | Reactor type | net power |
gross power |
start of building | Network synchronization |
Commercialization of essential operation |
operating permit |
Shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quad Cities-1 | Boiling water reactor | 867 MW | 912 MW | December 15, 1967 | 04/12/1972 | 02/18/1973 | 12/14/2032 | |
| Quad Cities-2 | Boiling water reactor | 867 MW | 912 MW | December 15, 1967 | 05/23/1972 | 03/10/1973 | 12/14/2032 |
Web links
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ The nuclear power station on the side of the operator (English)
- ↑ https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=615
- ↑ https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=621
- ↑ a b Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA : "United States of America: Nuclear Power Reactors - Alphabetic" (English)
- ↑ Bill Dedman , “What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk,” msnbc.com , March 17, 2011 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42103936/ Accessed April 19, 2011.
- ↑ http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf ( page no longer available )
- ↑ NRC: Secy-01-0124 - Power uprate Application Reviews
- ^ As Exelon threatens to shut nuclear plants, Illinois town fears fallout. chicagotribune.com, March 9, 2014, accessed September 19, 2015 .
- ↑ Will Exelon Shutter Quad Cities, Clinton Or Byron NPPs In The Land Of Lincoln? qctimes.com, September 10, 2014, accessed September 19, 2015 .
- ↑ Exelon to close Clinton and Quad Cities nuclear plants . In: Chicago Tribune , June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ↑ Will Exelon Shutter Quad Cities, Clinton Or Byron NPPs In The Land Of Lincoln? (No longer available online.) Mywebtimes.com, September 10, 2014, formerly in the original ; Retrieved September 19, 2015 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Rauner signs Future Energy Jobs bill. Quad-City Times, December 7, 2016, accessed November 20, 2017 .
- ↑ Top Stories 2016: Last-minute deal saves Clinton nuclear plant. www.wjbc.com, December 29, 2016, accessed November 20, 2017 (English).
- ^ Illinois Sees The Light - Retains Nuclear Power. Forbes , December 4, 2016, accessed November 20, 2017 .
- ^ Backgrounder on Reactor License Renewal. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), accessed August 18, 2016 .
- ^ Subsequent License Renewal Background. NRC, accessed August 18, 2016 .
- ↑ Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Unit 1. NRC, accessed on August 18, 2016 .
- ↑ Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2. NRC, accessed on August 18, 2016 (English).
