Contribution of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power accounts for slightly less than a fifth of Louisiana's energy production (see table). If the nuclear share increases in 2005, it will not necessarily represent a corresponding increase in electricity output. Instead, other fuel shares could decrease. In 2004, both River Bend and Waterford operated at slightly under 90 percent of their net summer capability. Although many U.S. nuclear plants have two or more reactors, River Bend and Waterford are single reactor facilities. Reactors shut down periodically for maintenance and refueling. Therefore, it could be concluded that while the local nuclear industry's contribution to economic recovery will be indispensable in the coming months, there is not nearly enough capacity to offset significant losses in the other fuel sectors.

The Waterford power plant, the closest nuclear plant to New Orleans, survived hurricane Katrina virtually intact ¹, but was shut down as a precautionary measure on August 28, 2005. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission terminated the 'unusual event' shut down on September 8th and authorized the plant to re-start the reactor on the following day. River Bend, Louisiana's other nuclear plant, was already in operation at the time of the Waterford re-opening. Waterford returned to full power on September 23rd. Their power will be badly needed as the State struggles to economically recover. But it should not be assumed that things will soon return to normal for the State's nuclear industry. A multitude of problems face Entergy, the licensee for the Waterford plant. First, the company lost revenue during the shut down. Add to this the costs of repairing transmission lines, and the displacement of some 350,000 customers.

In 2008, the State of Louisiana ranked 16th in nuclear capacity and 18th 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.

In 2007, natural gas accounted for nearly half 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.

Louisiana Nuclear Highlights

• Louisiana's River Bend Nuclear Power Plant was the first plant approved in 2003 for a power up rate. On January 13, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the licensee permission to increase the reactor's capacity by 52 megawatts/electric (a 1.7 percent increase over previous capacity).
• Months before Katrina damaged oil and gas facilities along the Gulf Coast, the Louisiana Public Service Commission was already considering the impact of rising gas prices. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the Commission introduced a Resolution in July 2005 to support construction of an additional reactor at the River Bend Nuclear Plant. Commissioner Blossman cited concerns about high oil and gas prices and the need, both Nationally and locally, to diversify energy supply.
  
  

Nuclear Power Generation in Louisiana, 1985 through 2004 Million Kilowatt Hours

Sources: Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-906, Power Plant Report, and predecessor forms.

License Renewal

According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), no application for license renewal for River Bend or Waterford have been received and none is anticipated in the near future. The current licenses for both reactors will not expire until after 2020.

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 Louisiana

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 Louisiana ranked 17th highest in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2007. The State's electric industry ranked 22nd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and 15th highest in nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions.

Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (CO2)*

*Carbon Dioxide

Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (SO2)*

*Sulfur Dioxide

Louisiana Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2004 (NOX)*

*Nitrogen Oxide

More Information on Louisiana's Nuclear Industry

Nuclear Generation

Electricity generation by nuclear power plants is available for each reactor and each State for the following years:

• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

¹ Update: On September 23rd, NRC reported the Waterford is operating at full power.

see also:
annual nuclear statistics back to 1953
projected electricity capacity to 2025
international electricity statistics