Comanche Peak Nuclear Generating Station

Comanche Peak Nuclear Generating Station is located in Somervell County, Texas. The nuclear power plant is located 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Ft. Worth and about 60 miles (100 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 Energy Future Holdings Corporation.

Construction of the two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors began in 1974. Nuclear Reactor 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 2006 Unit 2 was the second-last power reactor to come online in the USA, followed only by Watts Bar 1.

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.

On September 19, 2008, Luminant filed an application with the NRC for a Combined Construction and Operating License (COL) for two new reactors. 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. 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.

Some environmental and anti-nuclear organizations and individuals oppose the plant expansion, citing environmental, public safety and cost concerns. These include the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition, Public Citizen and state Rep. Lon Burnam.
Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant
Country United States
Locale Somervell County, near Glen Rose, Texas
Status Operational
Construction began 1974-93
Commission date Unit 1: April 17, 1990
Unit 2: April 6, 1993
Licence expiration Unit 1: February 8, 2030
Unit 2: February 2, 2033
Operator(s) Luminant Generation Co.

Reactor information
Reactors operational Unit 1: 1084 MW
Unit 2: 1124 MW
Reactors planned 2 x 1700 MW
Reactor type(s) pressurized water reactor
Reactor supplier(s) Westinghouse

Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

The Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (Centrala Nucleară de la Cernavodă) is the only nuclear power plant in Romania. It produces around 20% of the country's electricity. It uses CANDU reactor technology from AECL, using heavy water produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin as its neutron moderator and water from the Danube – Black Sea Canal for cooling.

By using nuclear power, Romania is able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by over 10 million tonnes each year.

The power plant was designed in Canada by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the 1980s, during the Communist era. The initial plan was to build five units.

Units 1 and 2 are currently fully operational. Three more partially-completed CANDU reactors exist on the same site, part of a project discontinued at the close of the Nicolae Ceauşescu regime. Units 3 and 4 are in their planning stages, with expected completion dates of 2014 and 2015 respectively.

CNE-INVEST is responsible for the preservation of Units 3-5.

Cernavoda Nuclear Reactor Unit 1

Unit 1, a CANDU 6-type, was finished in 1996 and produces 705.6 MW of electricity.

It was commissioned and began operating at full power in 1996 and has had record capacity factors of 90 per cent since 2005.

Cernavoda Nuclear Reactor Unit 2

A consortium of AECL and Ansaldo Nucleare of Italy, along with the Nuclearelectrica (SNN) SA, Romania’s nuclear public utility, was contracted in 2003 to manage the construction of the partially completed Unit 2 power plant and to commission it into service.

Four years later, Unit 2, another CANDU 6-reactor, achieved criticality on 6 May 2007 and was connected to the national grid on 7 August. It began operating at full capacity on 12 September 2007, also producing 706MW.

Unit 2 was officially commissioned on Friday, October 5, 2007 during ceremonies attended by Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu and senior officials from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). This makes CNE-Cernavoda Station the largest power producer in the country.

Future expansion

Cernavoda Nuclear Reactor Units 3 and 4

Units 3 and 4 are expected to be CANDU 6 reactors with a similar design to Unit 2 and will each have a capacity of 740 MW. Units 3 and 4 are expected to be operational by 2016-2017. The project is estimated to take up to six years after the contracts are signed.

In a feasibility study carried out by Deloitte and Touche, the most economically viable scenario would be to build the two phases at the same time, with the cost estimated at €2.3 billion.

On 20 November 2008, Nuclearelectrica, ArcelorMittal, ČEZ, GDF Suez, Enel, Iberdrola and RWE agreed to set up a joint company dedicated to the completion, commissioning and operation of Units 3 and 4. The company named Energonuclear was registered in March 2009.

20th of January 2011, GDF Suez, Iberdrola and RWE pulled out of the project, following ČEZ which already left last September, citing "Economic and market-related uncertainties surrounding this project, related for the most part to the present financial crisis, are not reconcilable now with the capital requirements of a new nuclear power project".

Cernavoda Nuclear Reactor Units 5

There are currently no plans to complete Unit 5 at this time. However, the possibility of finishing construction remains.

Accidents and major events in Cerdanova Nuclear Power Plant

  • On 30 May 2009, Unit 1 of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shut down following a water pipe crack. The Cernavoda NPP's second unit was undergoing an overhaul, so it was not producing any electricity.
  • On 8 Apr 2009, the second reactor of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shut down due to a malfunction which led to electrical outages.
  • On Jan 16 2010, the first unit was shut down due to steam leakage.
  • On Jan 8 2011, the first unit was shut down for maintenance activities for a period of 48 hours.
Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
Country Romania
Construction began 1980s
Commission date 2 December 1996
Operator(s) Nuclearelectrica

Reactor information
Reactors operational 2 x 700 MW
Reactors planned 2 x 750 MW

Power generation information
Annual generation 5,178 GW·h
Net generation 51,045 GW·h