palo verde power plant output

Edwin E. VanBrunt was the key APS executive in charge of engineering, construction, and early operations of the plant. PHOENIX Located in Phoenixs backyard is the nations largest and cleanest power producer. The utility company said its purchase of 114 megawatts of Palo Verdes output will increase access to safe, reliable and zero-carbon emitting energy Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is established in western Arizona near the Gila River. [14] At the nuclear plant site, the wastewater is further treated and stored in an 85-acre reservoir and a 45-acre reservoir for use in the plant's cooling towers. of Palo Verdes output How long during the year the plant can run at full capacity -- the Capacity Factor. The three containment domes over the reactors are made of 4-foot (1.2m) thick concrete.[16]. the Phoenix, and Tucson, A According to the NRC press release, "The power uprates at each unit, located near Phoenix, Arizona, increases the net generating capacity of the reactors from 1270 to 1313 and 1317 megawatts electric, respectively, for Units 1 and 3. Palo Verde Nuclear Vice President Tel: 623-393-5553 PO Box 52034 Generating Station Nuclear Engineering Fax: 623-393-6077 Phoenix, Arizona 85072-2034 102-05531-CDM/TNW/GAM This nuclear power plant is a major source of electric power for the densely populated parts of Southern Arizona and Southern California, e.g. Palo Verdes Role The total electricity produced by a plant depends on two things: The size, or nameplate rating, of the plant. In addition, Palo Verde Unit 1 produced the highest electricity output of any nuclear unit in the world, and all three Palo Verde units, individually, ranked among the top seven international producers, according to industry data. As the nations only nuclear plant not located on a body of water, every year, Palo Verde recycles more than 20 billion gallons of wastewater from surrounding municipalities to cool the plant. All sirens are tested yearly in November. All rights reserved. [23][24], Units 1 and 2 went into commercial operation in 1986 and Unit 3 in 1988.[25]. If Palo Verde ran 24-7, it should be able to produce 3,747 MW x 1,000 kW/MW x 8,766 hours/year = 32,846,202,000 kWhs/year In 2014, Palo Verde produced 32,320,917,000 kWhs, 60% Contrary to popular belief, the two additional units would not have been on the same arc as the three existing units; instead, they would have been arranged south of Unit3 on a northsouth axis. The nuclear steam supply for each unit was designed and supplied by Combustion Engineering, designated the System 80 standard designa predecessor of the newer standard System 80+ design. Whether it's detecting diseases faster, exploring the outer reaches of our galaxy, or providing the country with clean, long-lasting carbon-free energythere are so many ways nuclear science positively impacts American lives. [citation needed] In March 2003, National Guard troops were dispatched to protect the site during the launch of the Iraq War amidst fears of a terrorist attack.[18]. In addition, due to both the strategic interconnections of the substation and the large size of the generating station, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council considers a simultaneous loss of 2 of the 3units the worst case contingency for system stability. The design is a so-called 24, with each of four main reactor coolant pumps circulating more than 60,000 gallons per minute of primary-side water through 2 large steam generators. The Palo Verde 500 kV switchyard is a key point in the western states power grid, and is used as a reference point in the pricing of electricity across the southwest United States. The Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona is the largest nuclear power plant in the United states with three reactors and a total electricity generating capacity 1 of about 3,937 MW. Other security measures protect the reactors, including X-ray machines, explosive "sniffers", and heavy guarded turnstiles that require special identification to open. It is the largest power station in the US by power output with an average electric power production of over 3 gigawatts. Three (3) Combustion Engineering Pressurized Water Reactor units each have an output of ~ 1270 MWe. The commission's letter stated that "The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station has made sufficient performance improvement that it can reduce its level of inspection oversight." Palo Verde is the nations largest source of clean-air energy. [citation needed], The selection of the site for Palo Verde was controversial. The facility's design incorporates many features to enhance safety by addressing issues identified earlier in the operation of commercial nuclear reactors. They remain the largest 60Hz turbine generators. of nuclear power plant. Learn about Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more. Take a look at the current openings that are available at the plant and help bring generation for generations. As the heart of the APS generation fleet, it provides the foundation for the reliable service our customers know they can count on. For postulated accidents when this long distance supply might not be available, the PVNGS relies on water reservoirs (two per reactor) built onsite (Fig. The plant is a critical asset to the Southwest, generating more than 32 million megawatt-hours annually enough power for more than 4 million people. The engine operated at 600 revolutions per minute with a rated output of 5,500,000 watts. These units were canceled for economic-risk reasons before the permits were issued. The reactor containment buildings are some of the largest in the world at about 2.6million cubic feet (74,000m3) enclosed. [30], The 2010 U.S. population within 10 miles (16km) of Palo Verde was 4,255, an increase of 132.9 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. Palo Verde Generating Station has been the nations largest power producer for nearly 30 years all of it clean and carbon-free. Each unit at Palo Verde has two EDGs. h. According to the Arizona Public Service Company, power generation operations to date at Palo Verde have offset the emission of almost 484 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (the equivalent of taking up to 84 million cars off the road for one year); more than 253,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide; and 618,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide. The usual power production capacity is about 70 to 95 percent of this. The model keeps Palo Verde open because its the lowest-cost non-renewable power plant in the West, able to spread its fixed cost of operation over a lot of electricity output. Critics claim that the site was not the first choice because it was in the middle of the desert, it had little or no water supply, and it had prevailing westerly winds. The nations largest clean-air energy producer, Largest contributor to Arizonas clean-air energy, Largest single AZ taxpayer with more than $50M annually in property taxes, $130M annual spend with 1,200 Arizona businesses. Palo Verde was of such strategic importance, due to a variety of its features, that it and Phoenix were documented by the former Soviet Union as target locations in the event of nuclear conflict during the Cold War. The sirens will wail periodically in the event of any nuclear emergency. It has the greatest generating capacity of all American nuclear power plants, producing a total of 3,810,000 kilowatts. Visit to the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station On November 18, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced approval of power uprates at two of Palo Verde's reactors. [16], On 2 November 2007, a pipe with gunpowder residue was found in the bed of a contract worker's pickup truck during normal screening of vehicles. 9 concentric low-profile precast concrete cooling towers (3 towers per unit), each with 16 individual induced-draft cooling cells, for a total of 144 induced-draft cooling cells. The plants 2015 output exceeded its previous power generation record of 32.3 million MWh, a record established in 2014. 20billion US gallons (76,000,000m) of treated water are evaporated each year. If an incident occurs at Palo Verde Generating Station, Maricopa County will activate the Emergency Siren Alerting System (PDF) in the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone surrounding Palo Verde Generating Station.. The 2010 U.S. population within 50 miles (80km) was 1,999,858, an increase of 28.6 percent since 2000. These would have put the Phoenix-Mesa metropolitan area into jeopardy in the event of a major accident. Arthur von Boennighausen was one of the Owner's Representatives for Arizona Public Service. Arizona Public Service then initiated a seven-hour security lockdown of the plant, allowing no one to enter or exit the plant. This area is known to locals as the EPZ (Emergency Planning Zone). Critics claimed that that site was selected over alternatives because it was owned by a relative of Keith Turley, a person who received almost two million dollars for the land. Palo Verde Generating Station has been the nations largest power producer for nearly 30 years all of it clean and carbon-free. Many 500kV power lines from companies like Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric send power generated at the plant to Los Angeles and San Diego via Path 46, respectively. The owners applied for a construction permit for two additional units in the late 1970s. The EDG being tested on December 15, 2016, was manufactured in 1981 and was a Cooper Bessemer 20-cylinder V-type turbocharged engine. All times are based on eastern time. The amount of electricity that a power plant generates over a period of time depends on the amount of time it operates at a specific capacity. Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant is located in Wintersburg, Arizona, about 50 miles west of Phoenix. "[21][22], To address safety concerns, 58 nuclear sirens were installed within a 10-mile radius of the plant. Each primary system originally supplied 3.817GW of thermal power to the secondary (steam) side of each plant. On November 18, 2005, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced approval of uprates at two of Palo Verde's reactors. The decision was made after the INPO discovered that electrical relays in a diesel generator did not function during tests in July and September 2006. KTAR News 92.3 FM got an exclusive look at the Palo Verde Generating Station "But we will closely monitor the plant. APS and Palo Verde deliver an energy mix that is 50% clean. Palo Verde Generating Station (PVGS) is considered the largest nuclear energy facility in the United States. The main turbine generators were supplied by General Electric. Palo Verde is the largest nuclear-generating site in the U.S. [12][13] This water represents about 25% of the annual overdraft of the Arizona Department of Water Resources Phoenix Active Management Area. The nearly 4-GW, three-unit Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station remains the largest generator of electricity in the U.S. for the 23rd consecutive The Palo Verde Generating Station, aerial view. [15] Unlike most multi-unit nuclear power plants, each unit at Palo Verde is an independent power plant, sharing only a few minor systems. The company noted, "If Palo Verde were to cease operation at the end of the original license, replacement cost of natural gas generationthe least expensive alternativewould total $36 billion over the 20-year license renewal period."[11]. Reviews from Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station employees about working as a Security Officer at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Tonopah, AZ. The Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota has two reactors, each with about 520 MW net summer generating capacity. They check identification and search vehicles entering the plant. The existing units are the only commercial reactors currently in use in the United States that were engineered to operate on 100% MOX fuel cores. Keith Turley was the president of APS, and also a member of the "Phoenix 40". Dimensions are 303 feet (92m) diameter 46 feet (14m) height. After a power uprate, each reactor is now able to produce 1.4 GW of electric power. 1). Palo Verde is the only generating facility in the country to produce more than 30 million megawatt-hours - a feat that the facility has achieved eight times, including three In an Arizona Republic article dated February22, 2007, it was announced that the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) had decided to place Palo Verde into Category4, making it one of the most closely monitored nuclear power plants in the United States. When installed they were the largest in the world, capable of generating 1.447GW of electricity each. SRP said its purchase of 114 megawatts of Palo Verdes output from PNM will increase access to safe, reliable and zero-carbon emitting energy needed to serve increasing customer demand. Because nuclear fuel is not reprocessed in the United States, the reactors have always operated on fresh UOX fuel. . [26] According to the NRC press release, "The power uprates at each unit, located near Phoenix, Arizona, increases the net generating capacity of the reactors from 1,270 to 1,313, and 1,317 megawatts of electric power respectively, for Units 1 and 3. Notes: Reactor status data collected between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. each day. The Palo Verde Generating Station is located on 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land, and it consists of three pressurized water reactors, each with an original capacity to produce 1.27 GW of electric power. The plant gets water for everyday cooling needs from the city of Phoenix. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. View only Upcoming Outages. William G. Bingham was the Bechtel Chief Engineer for the project. In common with all nuclear power plants in the United States, security guards working for the utility are armed with rifles. In 2002, operation of the Palo Verde Power Nuclear Generating Station increased Maricopa Countys economic output by $149.3 million. Cities within 50 miles include Phoenix (47 miles to city center).[31]. The facility evaporates water from the treated sewage of several nearby municipalities to meet its cooling needs. [16], During a March 24, 2009 public meeting, the NRC announced that it cleared the Confirmatory Action Letter (CAL), and has returned Palo Verde to Column1 on the NRC Action Matrix. Palo Verde is the largest producer of clean-air energy in the nation, serving more than 4 million people in the Southwest and generating more than 32 million megawatt-hours The site team and nearby town of Tonopah remain a key focus of work in regard to homeland security, ranking in importance along with Arizona's major cities, military bases, ports of entry, and tourist sites. The power from the station serves approximately 4 million people. The Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona is the largest nuclear power plant in the United States with three reactors and a total net summer electricity generating capacity of about 3,937 MW. Plant Start date Length (days) ANO 2: March 14, 2020 Bechtel Power Corporation was the Architect/Engineer/Constructor for the facility initially under the direction of the Arizona Nuclear Power Project (a joint APS/SRP endeavor), later managed exclusively by Arizona Public Service. Nuclear Outage Schedule 2021-2022. Southern California Public Power Authority, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, List of largest power stations in the United States, Largest nuclear power plants in the United States, "Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Tonopah, AZ", "Largest Utility Plants by Net Generation", "Economic Benefits of Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station", "PNM, PRC conspire to stick us with bills", "For iconic N.M. coal plant, an uncertain future", "Arizona Nuclear Power Plant To Buy Wastewater From Cities; Agreement Is Win-Win For Plant And Cities - Nuclear Power Industry News - Nuclear Power Industry News - Nuclear Street - Nuclear Power Portal", "Attention, Cities: You Can Sell Your Excess Wastewater to Nuclear Power Plants", "Detained worker: Had no idea pipe bomb was in truck", "Palo Verde nuclear plant reportedly received specific threat", "News Release: Palo Verde Event Demonstrates Security Effectiveness, 11/02/2007", https://www.roguecolumnist.com/rogue_columnist/2010/12/phoenix-101-the-phoenix-40.html, "Approved Applications for Power Uprates", "NRC extends life of largest U.S. nuclear station", http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42103936/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/what-are-odds-us-nuke-plants-ranked-quake-risk/, "NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Power Plants", Anti-nuclear movement in the United States, List of cancelled nuclear reactors in the United States, Nuclear reactor accidents in the United States, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station&oldid=1009097661, Nuclear power stations using pressurized water reactors, Buildings and structures in Maricopa County, Arizona, Articles with dead external links from October 2010, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Nuclear power station articles using Infobox power station, Pages using infobox power station with deprecated parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, This page was last edited on 26 February 2021, at 18:29. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is the largest nuclear electric generating site in the United States. As owner and operator of Palo Verde Generating Station, the nations largest producer of Copyright 2021 Palo Verde Generating Station. Location: 40 miles west of downtown Phoenix. [28][29], The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of 10 miles (16km), concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about 50 miles (80km), concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity. Outage List. Cooling towers are Marley Class 700 cross-flow induced-draft models, with Bechtel-constructed foundations and basins. Additional plant status information is made available on the web page after 28 days. Palo Verde Nuclear Station 32,800,000,000 kWhs/year Arizona hydro power 5,300,000,000 kWhs/year Arizona non-hydro renewables 2,100,000,000 kWhs/year As the heart of the APS generation fleet, it provides the foundation for the reliable service our customers know they can count on.The plant is a critical asset to the Southwest, generating more than 32 million megawatt-hours annually enough power for more than 4 million people. 2 Fig. "Performance at Palo Verde has improved substantially and we are adjusting our oversight accordingly," said Elmo E. Collins, NRC's Region IV Administrator. Plant construction: Construction began in 1976. Due to its location in the Arizona desert, Palo Verde is the only nuclear generating facility in the world that is not located adjacent to a large body of above-ground water. So, to equal the power produced by Palo Verde in a year. An Arizona public utility is increasing its ownership share in the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station located west of Phoenix. We are reducing our oversight, but not our vigilance. . The design is also one of the most spacious internally, providing exceptional room for the conduct of operations and maintenance by the operating staff. On April 21, 2011, the NRC renewed the operating licenses for Palo Verde's three reactors, extending their service lives from forty to sixty years. Each unit has 2 reactor cooling loops, each with a 2 reactor cooling pump and a single steam generator. It is located approximately 55 miles west of downtown Phoenix near the community of Wintersburg, Arizona. It's likely the largest single producer of electricity in the U.S., in addition to being the largest nuclear power plant in the U.S. as measured by total power output (almost 4,000 MW). [19] The site also declared a Notification of Unusual Event, which is the lowest of four Emergency Plan event classifications.[20]. Unit 1 and Unit 2 were completed in 1986; Unit 3 was completed in 1988. [27], The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Palo Verde was 1 in 26,316, ranking it #18 in the nation according to an NRC study published in August 2010. SRP receives 654 MW for its share of Palo Verde. The Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) is Iowa's only nuclear power plant.It is located on a 500-acre (200 ha) site on the west bank of the Cedar River, two miles (3.2 km) north-northeast of Palo, Iowa, USA, or eight miles (13 km) northwest of Cedar Rapids.. DAEC entered operation in February 1975. It was then confirmed to contain explosives by local police. Description: Three nuclear generating units. The finding came as the "final straw" for INPO, after Palo Verde had several citations over safety concerns and violations over the preceding years, starting with the finding of a 'dry pipe' in the plant's emergency core-cooling system in 2004. When the sirens sound, residents are instructed to go indoors and tune into local television and radio stations KTAR 620 AM, KMVP 98.7 FM or KTAR 92.3 FM to hear public safety instructions. Adding the direct value of the plants electricity output brings the countys economic output attributable to Palo Verde to $868.5 million. It has three of the five largest nuclear units in the country, with each pressurized water reactor licensed at almost 4,000 MWth. Capacity: 3,739 MW from three units.