There are 5 operating nuclear power plants in Pennsylvania: Beaver Valley has 2 light water reactors (PWR) and, with the shutdown of its number 2 unit in 1979, Three Mile Island now has only one PWR. All of the State's other commercial units are boiling water reactors (BWR).

Permanently Shutdown Commercial Reactors: The following reactors in Pennsylvania have been permanently shut down and are in various stages of decommissioning; Peach Bottom 1 (shut down on October 31, 1974), Saxton (shut down on May 1, 1972), Shippingport (shut down in 1982 and decommissioning completed), and Three Mile Island, unit 2, (shut down on March 28, 1979). The last of these, Three Mile Island, unit 2, is unique: it has been placed in a post-defueling monitored storage mode until unit 1 permanently ceases operation. Both units will then be decommissioned.

Research and Test Reactors Regulated by the NRC: Pennsylvania State University has a TRIGA reactor (power level 1,100 kilowatts) that was licensed on July 8, 1955.

Nuclear Power Generation in Pennsylvania, 1960 through 2005 Million kilowatthours

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

Nuclear Generation

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

• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

Contribution of Nuclear Power

In 2008, the State of Pennsylvania ranked 2nd in nuclear capacity and 2nd 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, coal accounted for over 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.

Thirty-one States have commercial nuclear power plants but nearly one third of the Nation's total capacity is located in just 4 States: Illinois, Pennsylvania, and North and South Carolina. Pennsylvania ranks second, behind Illinois, in total nuclear capacity and nuclear generation.

The atomic age originated in Illinois, but the U.S. commercial nuclear industry was born in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth is second only to Illinois in nuclear capacity and output.

Pennsylvania Nuclear Highlights

This view looks down on the fuel rods at Penn State's Breazeale Reactor. The reactor is a TRIGA model manufactured by General Atomics. The blue light surrounding the fuel is known as Cherenkov radiation, produced when charged particles travel through matter (in this case, water) at speeds greater than light. Penn State University is the site of the first licensed reactor. Sources: the Penn State Radiation Science and Engineering Center.

• In 1955, Bill (William) Breazeale takes his operator's license examination. What is so unusual about that? Prior to 1955, there were no licensed operators examinations in existence. Breazeale wrote the first such examination, answered the questions, then graded himself. Needless to say, this would have been impossible under current regulations anywhere in the world. By the way, he passed. The Breazeale reactor (see photo) bears his name.
• In 1957, the first commercial nuclear power plant in the United States went on line in Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
• In 1979, a problem occurs at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. It will become the most famous nuclear accident in the western hemisphere.

License Renewal

On May 7, 2003, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved a 20-year license extension for the reactors at the Peach Bottom nuclear plant. NRC anticipates that PPL Susquehanna will submit an application for the license renewal of the two reactor at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station between July and September 2006. An application for the reactor at Three Mile Island is anticipated in the period January thru March 2008.

Air Quality in Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania ranked 3rd highest in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 2007. The State's electric industry ranked 2nd highest in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and 5th highest in nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions.

Pennsylvania Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1990-2007 Metric Tons
Year	Carbon Dioxide CO2	Sulfur Dioxide SO2	Nitrogen Oxides NOx
1990	110,343,084	1,239,637	453,340
1991	108,362,006	1,224,526	439,019
1992	107,621,302	1,181,693	432,989
1993	110,966,135	1,169,351	423,473
1994	106,989,180	1,141,647	346,639
1995	109,707,576	1,104,012	344,200
1996	113,306,443	1,047,157	289,869
1997	115,140,844	1,177,711	274,749
1998	118,058,803	1,057,603	261,995
1999	114,726,489	898,604	202,646
2000	122,233,198	855,925	212,912
2001	111,595,649	867,281	209,037
2002	118,774,504	812,533	204,647
2003	119,184,014	911,775	177,144
2004	121,566,140	931,172	183,852
2005	126,712,614	1,019,097	186,185
2006	125,864,000	839,059	175,956
2007	127,888,320	888,600	183,406
Source: EIA-767 and EIA-906 Survey, Energy Information Administration

Pennsylvania Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (CO2)*

*Carbon Dioxide

Pennsylvania Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (SO2)*

*Sulfur Dioxide

Pennsylvania Airborne Emissions, Electricity Sector, 1989-2004 (NOX)*

*Nitrogen Oxide

More Information on the Pennsylvania Nuclear Industry

Pittsburgh Naval Reactors

The Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office administers programs at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory for research and development, design, fabrication, construction, testing, operation, and improvement of assigned naval nuclear propulsion plants; procurement of reactor cores, and other work as assigned by the Office of the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors.

Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory

The Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, located near Pittsburgh, is a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) research and development facility solely dedicated to support the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program of the United States. Laboratory employees develop advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology, provide technical support for the safe and reliable operation of existing naval reactors, and provide training for naval personnel.

Penn State University

The oldest U.S. reactor still in service is the TRIGA reactor at Penn State University. It was licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission on July 8, 1955. It is not only older than any operational licensed reactor (commercial, research, or testing), it is older than any licensed reactor listed as decommissioning or decommissioned. The University discusses the 50th anniversary of the nuclear engineering program on their web site.
You may also wish to visit these other features on Penn State:
http://www.mne.psu.edu/
http://www.rsec.psu.edu/index.html

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