skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant
5:36 AM
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of Boston and 10 miles (16 km) south of Portsmouth. Two units (reactors) were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns and troubles obtaining financing. The construction permit for the plant was granted in 1976 and construction on Unit 1 was completed in 1986. Full power operation of Unit 1 began in 1990. Unit 2 has been canceled and most of its major components sold to other plants.
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant was originally owned by more than 10 separate utility companies serving five New England states. In 2002, most sold their shares to FPL Energy (a subsidiary of FPL Group), later known as NextEra Energy Resources. NextEra Energy now owns 88.2% of Seabrook Station. The remaining portion is owned by municipal utilities in Massachusetts.
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant is one of five nuclear generating facilities operated by FPL Group. The other four are St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant and Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station operated by sister company Florida Power & Light (a regulated utility), and the Duane Arnold Energy Center and Point Beach Nuclear Generating Station operated by NextEra.
In 2010, the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant applied to have its operating license extended from 2030 to 2050.
The Wackenhut Corporation provides plant security to three of the four sites. Seabrook, St. Lucie, and Turkey Point experienced security related problems between 2004 and 2006. At Seabrook, US Congressmen and the NRC investigated reports that a newly installed security fence had not worked properly since its installation six months earlier, in addition to reports of overworked security officers.A second reactor was proposed in 1972 and canceled in 1988.
During the 2008 presidential election, Republican nominee John McCain mentioned the possibility of building the once-planned second reactor at Seabrook. The idea drew cautious support from some officials, but would be difficult due to financial and regulatory reasons.Technical details of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant
- Generation: 1,296 MWe at full power (since uprate)
- One Westinghouse pressurized water reactor
- Cooled by water from Atlantic Ocean
| Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Seabrook, New Hampshire |
| Coordinates | 42°53′56″N 70°51′03″W / 42.89889°N 70.85083°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | United Engineers and Constructors |
| Commission date | March 15, 1990 |
| Licence expiration | October 17, 2026 |
| Operator(s) | NextEra Energy Resources |
| Reactor information | |
| Reactor type(s) | PWR |
| Reactor supplier(s) | Westinghouse |
| Power station information | |
| Generation units | 1 - 22kV GE |
| Power generation information | |
| Installed capacity | 1244 MW |
| Annual generation | 10,763 GW·h |
