Big Rock Point
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Big Rock Point was a nuclear power plant in Charlevoix, Michigan. Big Rock operated from 1962 to 1997. It was owned and operated by Consumers Energy. Its boiling water reactor was made by General Electric (GE) and was capable of producing 67 megawatts of electricity.
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[edit] History
Big Rock was Michigan's first nuclear power plant and the nation's fifth. It also produced Cobalt 60 for the medical industry. Its license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was issued on August 29, 1962. The first electricity was generated on December 8, 1962.
A promotional video for the plant featured then GE spokesman Ronald Reagan.
[edit] Facts and figures
- Reactor vessel dimensions: 30 feet tall x 9 feet in diameter
- Thickness of rector vessel walls: 5 1/2 inches
- A single 10-ton load of uranium fuel in Big Rock's reactor could generate the same amount of electricity as 260,000 tons of coal.
[edit] Closure and decommissioning
Consumers Energy had previously announced that Big Rock Point's operating license would not be renewed when it expired on May 31, 2000. However, economics proved in January 1997 that it was not feasible to keep Big Rock Point running to the license's expiration date.
Faced with a choice to shut down immediately or retire the plant with dignity after 35 years of operation, Consumers chose to run the plant to its 35th anniversary, giving employees time to prepare and having a ceremony that honored Big Rock Point’s contributions to the industry and many years of safe and reliable operation.
The reactor was scrammed for the last time on at 10:33 a.m. EST on August 29, 1997, 35 years to the day after its license has been issued.
Because of its contributions to the nuclear and medical industries, the American Nuclear Society named Big Rock Point a Nuclear Historic Landmark.
The 235,000-pound reactor vessel was shipped to Barnwell, South Carolina on October 7, 2003.
All of Big Rock Point, including the 130 foot tall spherical containment structure, has been torn down. Other than eight spent fuel casks, there will be few signs that the site was home to a nuclear power plant by the projected completion in August 2006.
Total decommissioning costs are expected to total $350,000,000.
[edit] Reuse of property
In July 2006, the state of Michigan announced it was considering buying the 500 acre site, which features a mile of Lake Michigan shoreline, for a possible state park. [1].
As part of the sale of Consumer's Palisades Nuclear Plant, the new owner Entergy accepted the responsibility for a basketball court size piece of property at Big Rock containing that plant's eight casks of spent spent fuel. [2].
[edit] References
- Going Out in Style: Big Rock Point Retires after 35 Years. VQK Communications. Retrieved on 23 April 2006.
- BNG AMERICA :: Projects :: Commercial Work :: Big Rock Point. BNG North America. Retrieved on 23 April 2006.*NRC: Big Rock Point. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Retrieved on 23 April 2006.
- Big Rock Point Decommissioning. Consumers Energy. Retrieved on 23 April 2006.
- Nation's Longest Operating Nuclear Plant, Consumers Energy's Big Rock Point, Permanently Ceases Operation. Consumers Eneergy. Retrieved on 23 April 2006.
