Perry Nuclear Generating Station
Encyclopedia
The Perry Nuclear Power Plant is located on a 1,100-acre (450 ha) site on Lake Erie
, 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Cleveland
in North Perry, Ohio
, USA. The nuclear power plant
is owned by First Energy Nuclear Operating Corporation
.
Perry was the 100th power reactor licensed in the United States.
The reactor is a General Electric
BWR-6 boiling water reactor
design, with a Mark III containment design. The original core power level of 3,579 megawatts thermal was increased to 3,758 megawatts thermal in 2000, making Perry one of the largest BWRs in the United States.
Built at a cost of $6 billion, Perry-1 is one of the most expensive power plants
ever constructed.
Perry was originally designed as a two-unit installation, but construction on Unit 2 was suspended in 1985 and formally cancelled in 1994. At the time of cancellation, all of the major buildings and structures for the second unit were completed, including the 500 feet (152.4 m) cooling tower. It is possible that a second unit could be constructed on the site, but current economical and regulatory conditions are not conducive to doing so (in addition to back taxes that would be due to the "abandon in place" designations on many objects in Unit 2). At any rate, the second unit would have to be re-built from the ground up to accommodate the newer reactor design that would almost certainly be installed.
On March 28, 2010, there was a fire in a lubrication system for one of the water pumps that feeds water for generation of steam. Reactor power was reduced to 70% as a safety precaution, and the fire was extinguished in less than three hours. Two plant fire brigade personnel were brought to a local hospital for "heat stress" following the fire. No customers lost power during this event.
In addition to Perry, FirstEnergy
also owns and operates the Davis-Besse
and Beaver Valley
nuclear plants.
. Four of its subsidiaries each own a share in the plant:
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Perry was 83,410, an increase of 8.0 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 2,281,531, a decrease of 3.0 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Cleveland (36 miles to city center). Canadian population is not included in these figures.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
in North Perry, Ohio
North Perry, Ohio
North Perry is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 838 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Perry is located at...
, USA. The nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
is owned by First Energy Nuclear Operating Corporation
FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp. , is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services...
.
Perry was the 100th power reactor licensed in the United States.
The reactor is a General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
BWR-6 boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
design, with a Mark III containment design. The original core power level of 3,579 megawatts thermal was increased to 3,758 megawatts thermal in 2000, making Perry one of the largest BWRs in the United States.
Built at a cost of $6 billion, Perry-1 is one of the most expensive power plants
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
ever constructed.
Perry was originally designed as a two-unit installation, but construction on Unit 2 was suspended in 1985 and formally cancelled in 1994. At the time of cancellation, all of the major buildings and structures for the second unit were completed, including the 500 feet (152.4 m) cooling tower. It is possible that a second unit could be constructed on the site, but current economical and regulatory conditions are not conducive to doing so (in addition to back taxes that would be due to the "abandon in place" designations on many objects in Unit 2). At any rate, the second unit would have to be re-built from the ground up to accommodate the newer reactor design that would almost certainly be installed.
On March 28, 2010, there was a fire in a lubrication system for one of the water pumps that feeds water for generation of steam. Reactor power was reduced to 70% as a safety precaution, and the fire was extinguished in less than three hours. Two plant fire brigade personnel were brought to a local hospital for "heat stress" following the fire. No customers lost power during this event.
In addition to Perry, FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp. , is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services...
also owns and operates the Davis-Besse
Davis-Besse
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant with a single pressurized water reactor, also referred to as a light water reactor. As of 2011, it is operated by the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp...
and Beaver Valley
Beaver Valley Nuclear Generating Station
Beaver Valley Power Station is a nuclear power plant covering near Shippingport, Pennsylvania, west by north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The Beaver Valley plant is operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Corporation...
nuclear plants.
| Unit 1 | Unit 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Reactor Type | BWR-6 Boiling water reactor The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor... |
BWR-6 Boiling water reactor The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor... |
| Reactor Manufacturer | General Electric | General Electric |
| Turbine Manufacturer | General Electric | General Electric |
| Thermal Power | 3,758 megawatts Watt The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:... |
Unit canceled in 1994 |
| Electrical Output | 1,260 megawatts Watt The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:... |
Unit canceled in 1994 |
| Transmission System Connection | 345,000 volt Volt The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the... s |
Unit canceled in 1994 |
| Construction Permit Issued | May 3, 1977 | May 3, 1977 (construction suspended in 1985) |
| Initial Criticality | June 1986 | Unit canceled in 1994 |
| First Electrical Generation | November 13, 1986 | Unit canceled in 1994 |
| Operational Date | November 18, 1987 | Unit canceled in 1994 |
| Expiration of Original License | March 18, 2026 | Unit canceled in 1994 |
Ownership
The reactor is owned and operated by FirstEnergyFirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp. , is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services...
. Four of its subsidiaries each own a share in the plant:
| Company | Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Electric Illuminating | 44.9% | |
| Ohio Edison | 30% | |
| Pennsylvania Power | 5.2% | Ohio Edison subsidiary |
| Toledo Edison | 19.9% |
Surrounding population
The Nuclear Regulatory CommissionNuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16.1 km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80.5 km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.
The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16.1 km) of Perry was 83,410, an increase of 8.0 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80.5 km) was 2,281,531, a decrease of 3.0 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Cleveland (36 miles to city center). Canadian population is not included in these figures.