Nebraska Nuclear Industry
| Nuclear Power Plants in Nebraska 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 |
| Cooper | 1 | 758 | 5,964 | 90 | Nebraska Public Power District/Same |
| Fort Calhoun | 1 | 482 | 3,515 | 83 | Omaha Public Power District/Same |
| Source: Form EIA-860, "Annual Electric Generator Report," and Form EIA-906, "Power Plant Report." | |||||
| Journey’s end: Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. Two steam generators and a pressurizer complete a journey begun in Japan. The transport barge also carried the reactor head (not shown). In essence, plants that are well maintained don’t just get older—they get better. |
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| Photo used with Permission Omaha, Public Power District, Photographed by James M. Uhland |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, August 21, 2003
NPPD's Transmission System Reliable
Columbus- ...When the blackout occurred in the Northeast, there was more electrical load lost than generation. The excess generation caused the rest of the systems in the Eastern Interconnected grid to experience high frequency. For instance, NPPD saw a frequency increase of .2 hertz. Protection systems in the area of the blackout isolated the disturbance from utilities in the rest of the eastern interconnection. The area that remained in service (i.e. NPPD's system) achieved a load and generation balance at a high frequency."
---Press Release, Nebraska Public Power District
Nebraska Nuclear Highlights
- In 2008, the State of Nebraska ranked 25th in nuclear capacity and 23rd 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.
- With shutdowns in March and June of 2003, the total net generation for the Cooper Station nuclear power is 38 percent lower for the first 8 months of 2003 than in the comparable period of 2002. The drop is partially offset by the smaller Fort Calhoun reactor which (according to preliminary data).
- Problems experienced at Ohio's Davis-Besse plant have focused considerable attention on the condition of reactor vessel heads at nuclear power plants. On September 16, 2003, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Ltd., (MHI) of Japan announced an international first. MHI will supply a replacement pressurizer to the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station. MHI will also supply a reactor vessel head, the second one ordered by a U.S. company from Mitsubishi.[1]
- CAE, Inc., a Canadian firm, announced on June 4, 2003, that it has won a $9 million contract from the Omaha Public Power District to refurbish the nuclear power plant simulator at Fort Calhoun.[2]
- On September 16th, Entergy Nuclear announced the signing of an agreement to provide management support services to the Nebraska Public Power District to operate the Cooper Nuclear Station. Gary Taylor, Entergy Nuclear CEO, predicted that the agreement will initiate a trend that will allow single unit nuclear owners to retain ownership while obtaining crucial support services.[3]
| Nuclear Power Generation in Nebraska, 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. |
In 2007, coal accounted for 60 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.
Competing Fuels
Electricity Market in Nebraska
| Electricity Generation by Fuel, Share of Electricity Output, by Fuel, 2004 to 2007 | ||||||
| Year | Coal | Hydroelectric | Natural Gas |
Nuclear | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 61 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 65 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2005 | 66 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 64 | 3 | 1 | 32 | * | |
| Source: EIA Survey 923, "Power Plant Operations Report" and Predecessor Forms. * Less than .05 percent. |
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License Renewal
According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the license for the Cooper reactor expires in 2014. No application for license renewal has yet been received. In November 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission extend the license for Fort Calhoun. The new expiration date is August 9, 2033.
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 Nebraska
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 Nebraska ranked 35th highest in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2007. The State's electric industry ranked 28th highest in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and 35th highest in nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
| Nebraska Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2007 Metric Tons |
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| Year | Carbon Dioxide CO2 |
Sulfur Dioxide SO2 |
Nitrogen Oxides NOx |
| 1990 | 13,369,890 | 46,993 | 78,102 |
| 1991 | 14,312,377 | 48,606 | 75,703 |
| 1992 | 13,255,332 | 48,680 | 68,251 |
| 1993 | 15,660,724 | 55,157 | 79,640 |
| 1994 | 15,059,256 | 51,409 | 77,575 |
| 1995 | 17,049,699 | 57,449 | 86,253 |
| 1996 | 16,959,273 | 59,818 | 44,731 |
| 1997 | 18,215,060 | 59,409 | 44,543 |
| 1998 | 19,488,098 | 52,769 | 45,466 |
| 1999 | 18,805,638 | 55,437 | 40,856 |
| 2000 | 19,626,468 | 54,701 | 39,186 |
| 2001 | 21,239,990 | 64,297 | 44,100 |
| 2002 | 20,442,182 | 61,660 | 43,319 |
| 2003 | 21,376,433 | 62,978 | 45,995 |
| 2004 | 20,697,595 | 67,764 | 44,238 |
| 2005 | 22,078,548 | 66,989 | 58,386 |
| 2006 | 22,293,088 | 65,105 | 61,304 |
| 2007 | 20,645,874 | 62,887 | 39,181 |
| Source: EIA-767 and EIA-906 Survey, Energy Information Administration | |||
Other Nuclear and Nuclear-Related Facilities
Where to Go Next (your choice)
To Next State in this Series (New Hampshire)
To Home Page of Nebraska Public Power District
[1] "Order for World's First Replacement Pressurizer Awarded to MHI for Fort Calhoun Nuclear Powr Station of Omaha Public Power District,"Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltc., Press Releas 0961, September 16, 2003.
[2] "CAE Inc. to Refurbish U.S. Nuclear Simulator, Nuclear Canada, June 4, 2993.
[3] "Entergy Signs to Furnish Management to Cooper Nuclear Station," formerly on line at: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030916/clu076_1.html, September 16, 2003.