Kansas Nuclear Industry
| Nuclear Power Plants in Kansas Net Generation and Capacity, 2008 |
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| Plant Name | Unit Number |
Net Capacity MW |
Net Generation
Thousand Kwh |
Capacity Factor
(percent) |
Operator/Owner |
| Wolf Creek | 1 | 1,166 | 8,497 | 83 | Kansas Gas & Electric Company/Various 1 |
| Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-906, "Power Plant Report." 1. Plant Owners: Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (47%), Kansas Gas & Electric Company (47%), Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (6%) |
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Nuclear Power Generates Third Straight Annual Record
In 2001, U.S. annual nuclear power generation reached a record 768.8 billion net kilowatt hours, 2 percent higher than the 2000 record of 753.9 net billion kWh, according to information released by the Energy Information Administration. This is the third consecutive annual record for nuclear generation (see Figure 1).
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According to EIA data, more than one-fourth of the Nation's nuclear output was provided by three States: Illinois (92,358 million kWh), Pennsylvania (73,731 million kWh), and South Carolina (49,870 million kWh). Kansas' only reactor, Wolf Creek, generated 10,347 million kWh in 2001, the most by any U.S. nuclear generating unit….
---Press Release, Energy Information Administration, April 2002
Kansas Nuclear Highlights
- In 2008, the State of Kansas ranked 27th in nuclear capacity and 28th in nuclear generation. Monthly and cumulative nuclear generation and annual nuclear capacity for each State and each reactor is reported in a table elsewhere on this site.
- According to local news media (Channel 13 News, Topeka, Kansas), the Wolf Creek plant bolstered security after 9/11, increasing the guard force by one third and making other improvements.
- The Kansas Geological Survey makes available a photograph of the plant at http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Images/DB/index.html (Understandably, the security enhancements since 9/11 are not shown in the photo).
| Nuclear Generation in Kansas, 1960 through 2003 Million Kilowatt Hours |
 Sources: Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data Report 1999, and Electric Power Annual, Volume 1, 2001, and EIA Survey Form 906. |
Competing Fuels
| Electricity Market in Kansas, Share of Electricity Output, by Fuel, 2004 to 2007 | ||||||
| Year | Coal | Hydroelectric | Natural Gas |
Nuclear | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 72 | * | 4 | 21 | 3 | |
| 2006 | 73 | * | 4 | 21 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 75 | * | 2 | 19 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 74 | * | 2 | 22 | 3 | |
| Source: EIA Survey 923, "Power Plant Operations Report" and Predecessor Forms. * Less than .05 percent. |
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In 2007, coal supplied slightly over 70 percent of the electricity generated by the State. The percentage of electricity generated by coal, gas, nuclear, and hydropower for each state with at least one commercial reactor is reported in the Electricity Market table.
License Renewal
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), a license renewal application for Wolf Creek is anticipated in September 2006.
Information on the current status of all license renewal applications appears on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov . To locate the data, select "index,"then select the letter "l"and click on "License Renewal."
Air Quality in Kansas
Total greenhouse emissions for the electric power industry of each of the 50 States and the District of Columbia, are reported for the most current data year.
Of the 50 States plus the District of Columbia, the electric industry of the State of Kansas ranked 26th highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2007. The State's electric industry ranked 23rd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 25th highest in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
| Kansas Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2007 Metric Tons |
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| Year | Carbon Dioxide CO2 |
Sulfur Dioxide SO2 |
Nitrogen Oxides NOx |
| 1990 | 27,244,541 | 78,498 | 124,679 |
| 1991 | 27,635,454 | 69,321 | 124,040 |
| 1992 | 24,955,827 | 59,895 | 112,148 |
| 1993 | 30,144,072 | 64,177 | 146,961 |
| 1994 | 30,275,842 | 64,922 | 146,852 |
| 1995 | 29,103,701 | 64,099 | 137,981 |
| 1996 | 33,334,198 | 106,223 | 86,623 |
| 1997 | 31,091,697 | 99,075 | 75,231 |
| 1998 | 31,681,058 | 102,389 | 73,376 |
| 1999 | 33,710,444 | 107,021 | 81,481 |
| 2000 | 36,772,891 | 105,495 | 83,047 |
| 2001 | 35,593,737 | 109,141 | 77,401 |
| 2002 | 38,554,484 | 117,717 | 86,632 |
| 2003 | 38,462,802 | 127,964 | 85,732 |
| 2004 | 37,287,815 | 112,416 | 84,127 |
| 2005 | 37,642,495 | 123,813 | 82,110 |
| 2006 | 35,639,431 | 100,919 | 74,016 |
| 2007 | 38,926,886 | 105,049 | 64,352 |
| Source: EIA-767 and EIA-906 Survey, Energy Information Administration | |||
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