Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant

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Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant
Shearon Harris Unit 1
Shearon Harris Unit 1
Data
Country United States of America
Location New Hill, Wake County, North Carolina
Owner Progress Energy
Operator Progress Energy
Start of commercial operation 1987
Reactors
Reactor supplier Westinghouse
Reactors active 1 (900 MW)
Reactors planned 2 (each 1000 MW)
Power
Capacity 900 MW
Status Operating
Generators Unit 1: 900 MW
Other details
Cost $3.9 billion
NRC region II
Website
Progress Energy Harris Plant
As of 4 June 2008


NRC
Region Two
(South)
Alabama
Bellefonte*
Browns Ferry
Farley
Florida
Crystal River 3
St. Lucie
Turkey Point
Georgia
Hatch
Vogtle
North Carolina
Brunswick
McGuire
Shearon Harris
South Carolina
Catawba
Oconee
H.B. Robinson
Summer
Tennessee
Sequoyah
Watts Bar
Virginia
North Anna
Surry
* unfinished
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The Shearon Harris nuclear power plant is a single Westinghouse designed pressurized-water nuclear reactor operated by Progress Energy. Located in New Hill, North Carolina, in the United States, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Raleigh, it generates 900 MWe, has a 523 foot (160 m) natural draft cooling tower, and uses Harris Lake (New Hill, North Carolina) for cooling. The reactor achieved criticality in January 1987 and began providing power commercially in May of that year.

The Shearon Harris site was originally designed for four reactors, but construction and budget issues resulted in three of the reactors being cancelled. The original budget estimated a cost of $1.1 billion for four reactors; the final cost of the single reactor that was constructed was nearly $4 billion [1]. However, in 2006, Progress Energy succeeded in their efforts to gain approval for two additional reactors at the Shearon Harris site [2]. Expansion of the plant will require raising the water level of Harris Lake by 20 feet[3], decreasing the size of Wake County's largest park, with the Cape Fear River as a backup water source.

Contents

[edit] Controversy

The Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in America, and with that growth comes increased demand for electricity. (Raleigh is located in Wake County, the site of Shearon Harris.) However, nuclear reactors are a highly contentious issue among the citizens of North Carolina [4] Citizen groups maintain that Shearon Harris' safety and security record is insufficient[5]. However, the plant's technical and security systems have passed Nuclear Regulatory Committee standards [6] as of 2008, including protection and security. Nonetheless, opponents cite at least one incident that highlights weaknesses with the security safeguards. The transport of the waste from those two plants to Shearon Harris takes place six times a year and involves loading shipping casks onto heavily-guarded trains and trucks. In 2002, between one and two "inmates on work release" accidentally boarded a train that was carrying nuclear waste to Shearon Harris [7]. These issues led to the formation of citizens' action groups such as NC WARN (North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network). However, in August of 2007, NC WARN dropped a lawsuit against Progress Energy that was intended to delay or prevent expansion of Shearon Harris, claiming that continuing their legal battle would cost at least $200,000[8].

[edit] Passive Fire Protection

Shearon Harris, not unlike other NRC licensees, has used Thermo-Lag endothermic fireproofing for the purpose of circuit integrity to protect safe-shutdown wiring between the nuclear reactor and the control room. The Thermo-Lag scandal became known as a result of disclosures by whistleblower Gerald W. Brown. To mitigate the problem, the plant used another fireproofing system, which subsequently also failed fire testing, requiring the operator to use further means to mitigate the problem.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Murawski, John. "Triangle picked as a nuclear site", Raleigh News & Observer, 2007-10-24. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 
  2. ^ Murawski, John. "Triangle picked as a nuclear site", Raleigh News & Observer, 2007-10-24. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 
  3. ^ Murawski, John. "Progress prepares for new reactors", Raleigh News & Observer, 2007-09-20. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 
  4. ^ See for example: The Gender Gap and Nuclear Power: Attitudes in a Politicized Environment, L.S. Solomon, D. Tomaskovic-Devey and B.J. Risman, Sex roles, No. 5/6 1989
  5. ^ Sturgis, Sue. "The Report is Bullshit", The Independent Weekly, 2006-03-29. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 
  6. ^ NRC Performance Summary, 1Q 2008
  7. ^ Waren, Jim. "Security Breach on Nuclear Waste Train. Inmates Jump Wrong Train, Revealing Vulnerability of CP&L Shipments", Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 2002-04-30. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 
  8. ^ Murawski, John. "Nuclear license fight dropped", Raleigh News & Observer, 2007-08-21. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. 


v • d • e
NRC-licensed nuclear power plants in the United States
Region I
(Northeast)
Region II
(South)

Browns Ferry · Brunswick · Catawba · Farley · Crystal River · Harris · Hatch · McGuire · North Anna · Oconee · Robinson · St. Lucie · Sequoyah · Summer · Surry · Turkey Point · Vogtle · Watts Bar ·
Region III
(Midwest)
Region IV
(West)
Closed or
canceled
Future

[edit] External links

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