Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant Explained

Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant
Coordinates:31.9342°N -82.3439°W
Country:United States
Location:Baxley, Appling County, Georgia
Status:O
Construction Began:Unit 1: September 30, 1968
Unit 2: February 1, 1972
Commissioned:Unit 1: December 31, 1975
Unit 2: September 5, 1979
Cost:$3.214 billion (2007 USD)[1]
Owner:Georgia Power (50.1%)
(30%)
(17.7%)
Dalton Utilities (2.2%)
Operator:Southern Nuclear
Np Reactor Type:BWR
Np Reactor Supplier:General Electric
Ps Cooling Source:Altamaha River
Ps Cooling Towers:6 × Mechanical Draft
Ps Units Operational:1 × 876 MW
1 × 883 MW
Ps Units Manu Model:BWR-4 (Mark 1)
Ps Thermal Capacity:2 × 2804 MWth
Ps Electrical Capacity:1759
Ps Electrical Cap Fac:94.30% (2017)
81.25% (lifetime)
Ps Annual Generation:14,165 GWh (2021
Website:Plant Hatch

The Edwin Irby Hatch Nuclear Power Plant is near Baxley, Georgia, in the southeastern United States, on a 2,244-acre (9 km²) site. It has two General Electric boiling water reactors with a total capacity of 1,848 megawatts. Previously, the reactors had a combined capacity listing of 1,759 MW. Unit 1 went online in 1974 and was followed by Unit 2 in 1978.The plant was named for Edwin I. Hatch, president of Georgia Power from 1963 to 1975, and chairman from 1975 to 1978.

In 2002, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) extended the operating licenses for both reactors for an additional twenty years.

Ownership

The Hatch plant is operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company. Hatch's owners are:

Electricity Production

Generation (MWh) of Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant[2] !Year!Jan!Feb!Mar!Apr!May!Jun!Jul!Aug!Sep!Oct!Nov!Dec!Annual (Total)
20011,293,0691,170,5551,235,5701,228,9261,293,2831,249,6371,285,5021,287,504887,694724,0501,262,1241,162,79414,080,708
20021,096,0021,051,3861,079,149768,1291,299,7881,242,6751,281,1491,285,9601,220,6201,170,6271,253,6111,301,30114,050,397
20031,306,0831,159,832660,970921,7351,240,2581,226,2161,276,9811,273,1851,240,6791,256,6541,244,9261,301,91214,109,431
20041,286,044843,608922,8691,240,0531,306,6931,255,1641,291,8251,292,9931,134,2611,245,5521,269,3711,328,31514,416,748
20051,060,127674,7861,010,5501,232,3641,170,6191,273,4021,303,4811,305,2681,266,7961,255,578914,8941,253,36513,721,230
20061,186,457807,651663,3261,121,4241,230,4801,275,7761,288,5751,276,1521,270,0591,318,2711,289,0221,331,46414,058,657
20071,183,710600,166911,2431,284,7211,311,5711,262,8311,309,1611,230,4701,262,8141,313,4171,255,9421,322,05914,248,105
20081,322,042671,388719,8861,269,3321,107,7841,252,9161,205,5831,306,8041,225,4701,308,8161,202,3621,321,15913,913,542
20091,316,335752,616655,970626,578281,7001,154,0411,259,3041,299,9701,268,4161,250,3671,211,2941,320,06412,396,655
20101,316,315713,061830,948926,0681,313,3261,236,3471,238,5671,283,7761,257,8361,294,0651,289,3671,201,88013,901,556
20111,237,8411,198,3541,205,375633,895978,0371,199,3851,243,9441,207,7021,193,2301,073,4301,273,9561,131,73313,576,882
20121,274,287830,447838,9161,259,9591,153,4491,257,4811,291,7431,282,8361,266,7531,312,9431,284,2611,330,36214,383,437
20131,284,903446,460875,1541,251,4691,321,1991,226,9541,271,4021,300,0511,098,3991,189,2341,256,3981,302,20513,823,828
20141,273,424626,5511,176,1211,281,0331,309,6601,218,8421,306,6951,303,8051,253,0061,320,4661,289,5161,150,87314,509,992
20151,211,828745,614963,5621,254,0021,318,1351,262,9761,302,7341,280,3201,241,7851,323,2461,285,5401,307,51214,497,254
20161,271,051742,2701,216,5781,199,0951,186,7091,225,5741,308,3651,309,0271,245,4721,323,9211,276,7421,315,62914,620,433
20171,168,298705,6291,312,674987,5731,267,4051,271,7681,314,5681,309,5321,272,1091,304,7731,293,5131,323,10014,530,942
20181,289,208607,9581,240,4951,194,3911,065,9591,267,1081,310,7891,312,1491,258,0101,271,2571,287,8771,298,34914,403,550
20191,286,342648,230739,3591,278,6211,178,0611,249,4351,306,0821,299,6981,081,6051,260,2791,286,0821,303,08713,916,881
20201,241,759622,847903,3101,043,0231,320,6391,101,6741,305,9351,302,4601,257,2461,299,0251,254,3941,315,56713,967,879
20211,272,328719,1061,107,2811,236,1361,324,1831,109,2471,100,1581,205,1971,259,8211,318,6201,288,5331,224,45814,165,068
20221,229,473686,8461,234,4411,288,7111,231,0711,270,7091,309,4781,310,1051,261,0361,159,71311,981,583
2023

Surrounding population

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear power plants: a plume exposure pathway zone with a radius of, concerned primarily with exposure to, and inhalation of, airborne radioactive contamination, and an ingestion pathway zone of about, concerned primarily with ingestion of food and liquid contaminated by radioactivity.[3]

The 2010 U.S. population within of Hatch was 11,061, an increase of 6.7 percent in a decade, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data for msnbc.com. The 2010 U.S. population within was 424,741, an increase of 12.0 percent since 2000. Cities within 50 miles include Vidalia (19 miles to city center).[4]

Onsite storage of spent nuclear fuel

Spent nuclear fuel is stored on-site in concrete casks. The Hatch Plant, a BWR, near Baxley GA is estimated by DOE, as of this year, to have generated 1,446 metric tons of spent fuel.

Seismic risk

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's estimate of the risk each year of an earthquake intense enough to cause core damage to the reactor at Hatch was 1 in 454,545, according to an NRC study published in August 2010.[5] [6]

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: EIA - State Nuclear Profiles. www.eia.gov. 3 October 2017. en.
  2. Web site: Electricity Data Browser . 2023-01-08 . www.eia.gov.
  3. Web site: NRC: Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power Plants . 2012-02-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061002131207/http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/emerg-plan-prep-nuc-power-bg.html . 2006-10-02 .
  4. Web site: 2011-04-14 . Nuclear neighbors: Population rises near US reactors . 2024-08-16 . NBC News . en.
  5. Web site: 2011-03-16 . What are the odds? US nuke plants ranked by quake risk . 2024-08-16 . NBC News . en.
  6. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170525170632/http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/quake%20nrc%20risk%20estimates.pdf . 2017-05-25 . dead .